S & T Forever
by MissLittleLove
Summary: Scarlett Smith was the weird grunge girl who no one noticed. That was until her boyfriend became infamous after going on a bloody rampage in their high school. Set in 1994, meet the girl who had AHS fans favourite ghost's heart long before Violet was born and Tate Langdon was very much alive.
1. Chapter 1

**My first attempt at writing! This is just the kinda introduction to a story that I've had in my head a for a long time.**

Scarlett Smith sighed as she woke up too early for yet another day in hell. To say the 17 year old hated school was a total understatement. She was literally counting down the days until graduation next year, when she would be free forever & finally able to live her dream of moving to Seattle with her boyfriend where he would own a record store & she would sell her art & they would live happily ever after. 

Madly in love, both having their dream careers & living in an apartment that looked out onto the city. The city that brought up their favorite musician, Kurt Cobain & would solve all of their problems, letting them live a normal life like they both had dreamed for so long. That dream was the thing that kept her getting up in the morning & facing the day.

June 1995 couldn't be here quick enough.

Kicking the red sheets from her body, Scarlett forced herself to stand up & accept that she was doomed to face another day in Westfield High & the plastic, spoiled Barbie doll bitches with fake noses, short skirts & Daddy's credit card & the dumbass jocks who couldn't spell football if they tried yet managed to get pretty much perfect grades to keep them on the team. She didn't fit in & truth be told, she really didn't want to because she hated them all with a burning hot passion. They had reached their peak in high school while she had higher hopes, bigger dreams & plans beyond this place & unlike them, she would work her damn ass off to get to them, refusing to fall into the rut they all seemed to have found themselves in. No one expected the weird grunge girl to make it out of the school, let alone out of Los Angeles but it just fuelled the fire inside of Scarlett even more.

She glanced at the alarm clock on the floor next to the mattress she slept on & groaned. She had 20 minutes to shower, get dressed & leave for school so she took a deep breath & got to work, deciding to head to shower first for the quickest shower of her life.

She carefully unlocked her bedroom door before tiptoeing as quietly as she could manage, sneaking by her passed out father, Brett on the sofa who was barely showing signs of life. It was just the two of them after Scarlett's mom, Cynthia had took off one Friday night when her daughter was five years old, never to be heard from or seen again. The father/daughter relationship was non existant. Brett was a full blown alcoholic who could barely hold a job down longer than a few months & at least twice a month when he had been on the Jack Daniels for a few days, would try to force his way into his daughter's bedroom. It wasn't for bedtime stories. For her own protection, Scarlett got a decent lock for the door when she was 12 years old & it had kept her safe ever since.

After successfully getting to the bathroom, she quickly showered, brushed her teeth & headed back to her bedroom. She locked the door, picked up a black Pearl Jam t shirt & a pair of dark blue velvet shorts off of the bedroom floor before sniffing them & then when she was sure they were okay, she pulled them both on & sat on the mattress, pulling on black thigh high socks & her battered, beloved knee high black Doc Marten boots. When she was dressed, she stood up & walked the few steps to her full length narrow mirror that rested against the far wall of her room. Her pale skin was painted with foundation, her green eyes circled with thick black eyeliner before her already long lashes were coated in a layer of equally thick mascara. To finish it all off, she applied dark red lipstick to her full lips. She looked like herself. Grabbing the hair brush, she ran it a few times over her mid length bleached blonde hair, parting it in the middle & fixing her DIY blunt bang.

Glancing down the clock, it was time to go. She sprayed some of her cheap perfume that burned her skin but she wore anyway, grabbed her red & blue plaid shirt along with her navy blue backpack & ran out of the door & into the warm California morning air.

Wrapping the shirt around her waist, Scarlett walked as fast as her legs could manage the 10 minute walk to school. As she approached, the bell rang & everyone started to head inside, all in their little groups & cliques while she walked alone. Where the hell was her boyfriend? The couple was their own little team, spending all of their time together, the strange grunge kids who were always holding hands & looking like a teenage Kurt Cobain & Courtney love. They had friends but they weren't really the socialising type, never going to parties or hanging out at the mall at the weekend. No one really got them like they got each other.

Scarlett opened her locker, grabbing her English books then slammed it shut, heading to class. She kept reminding herself it was Friday & that tomorrow she could sleep in late then do whatever she wanted.

"Nice of you to join us, Scarlett" Mr Nelson was standing in front of his desk as she walked in the class. Jackass. Ignoring him, she sat in her regular seat at her desk at the back of the class. The seat next to her empty. "Will your companion be joining us today?" His deep voiced asked, arms folded, heavy brows scrunched. She shrugged. She honestly didn't know. Sighing, the older man told the class to open their books at page 35 & read to page 40 so Scarlett did as she was told.

She was staring into space when Mr Nelson ended her daydreams, pulling her back to reality.  
"Mr Langdon, how nice of you to honor us mere mortals with your presence" His voice full of annoyance as the chair beside me was filled. Her boyfriend was finally here & only an hour late but at least he was here. Deep brown, almost black eyes met hers as she looked over at him, waiting for an explanation.  
"Hi baby" He smiled, making Scarlett's heart feel like it had skipped a beat before he put his backpack on the floor next to his desk.  
"Why are you late again, Tate? You promised the guidance counselor you would be here on time" she started, trying to maintain the hard ass routine but feeling herself failing miserably as she took her soft hand in his large round hand & kissed it gently, clearly trying to distract her.  
"It was the alarm, Scar. I swear." Why did he have to be so handsome & so damn irresistible? It was pretty much impossible to stay made at him. His eyes were endless pits that she lost herself in daily. His dimples were her undoing. His smile melted her. He was a babe to put it bluntly, a mega super total babe & she loved him with every single fibre of her being.  
"You better be here early on Monday morning" she warned, shaking her head in defeat. He leaned in & softly kissed her cheek, getting them both a stern warning about displays of affection in the school enviroment.

Man, this place seriously sucked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! So it gets a little...mature in this chapter. Enjoy!**

Friday at Westfield High was just as awful as every other day spent there. Scarlett & Tate spent lunch at the bleachers, joined eventually by the other "weirdos" of the junior class who weren't exactly friends but were probably the closest thing to them that the couple had. Well, they were mainly her friends but Tate was pleasant enough to them. Well, as sociable as the tall blonde could be.

"Hey Scar" Kevin Gedmen smiled as he sat just down from her as Tate lay his head on her lap. He noticably tensed up as his classmate refered to his girlfriend by the nickname only her boyfriend was allowed to use, glaring at the punk boy as his anger built. Feeling the change in his mood, Scarlett softly ran her fingers through his bleach blonde curls, hoping this would soothe him & potientally stop Kevin getting an ass kicking he wouldn't see coming.

"Hi Kevin" she smiled back, mainly to be polite. Kevin looked at Tate & greeted him but didn't get a reply but the young man didn't seem too bothered by it so Scarlett relaxed a little, her body losing some of its tension. Scarlett wasn't dumb, she was well aware that the punk rock boy with the shoulder length brown hair had a crush on her & had done for the last year but she would never, ever, ever act on it. Ever. She would _never_ betray Tate or do anything that could cause her to lose him so Kevin could have his crush but she was loyal to her love.

"How annoying is Mr Nelson? Seriously, the dude needs to loosen up" Stephanie Boggs started as she sat beside Kevin. The blonde goth girl was nice enough but she talked. Non. Stop. It was like she loved the sound of her own voice so the time spent around her was kept to a minimum, for everyone's sanity.

"Not as annoying as you" Tate muttered under his breath at a volume only his girlfriend could hear. Scarlett whispered at him to be quiet. "Whatever. It's true, Scar & don't act like you don't think so." He sat up, scooting in close to the blonde, his left arm around her shoulders. He was sending a message to Kevin. Scarlett was _his_ & whatever stupid little crush he had on her better stay exactly that, Not if the guy wanted to stay in one piece. "Let's go for a walk, babe" & he stood up, interrupting whatever Stephanie was rambling on about.

"A walk?" Scarlett asked, her green eyes confused. Nodding, Tate picked up his black backpack & slung it on his back before lifting her dark blue backpack & started to walk down the bleachers to the ground below. "I'll see you guys later" She stood up & headed after Tate.

"See ya" Kevin called after her. "I don't know what she's doing dating a guy like him" He said to Stephanie, loud enough so that the retreating Scarlett could hear him.

"Yeah, he can be such a dick sometimes" Stephanie agreed as the teenage girl was nearly out of sight. Tate could be a dick but they didn't know him like she did. He had a rude, aggressive, dickish side that could make him difficult to be around but with her, he was sweet, loving, hilarious & super fun. He was also extremely over protective which constantly went from being endearing to infuriating, depending on Tate's mood.

"What the hell, Tate? That was so rude!" Scarlett scolded him as he handed her backpack back to her & smirked.

"I don't like them. You know that, Scar." He started to walk away, knowing she would follow after him.

"Is there anyone you **do** like, Tate?" She stood still, arms folded. He stopped  & turned around.

"You, Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love & Eddie Vedder" A massive smile on his handsome face. He loved when she got angry with him because it never lasted long. She gave him the finger & turned on her heel before marching in the opposite direction from him. It was then he realised that he had fucked up & that she was actually pretty pissed off. Tate ran after her, which was pretty quick considering he was on the school's track team. "Scar, baby." She kept going, her eyes straight ahead. She rarely got this mad so there had to be something bigger going on, something she hadn't told him. There was no way she would be this mad at him for blowing off the two losers at the bleachers. Grabbing her left arm, he stopped her & turned her to face him. She wouldn't look at him. "What happened? Tell me" He knew her well enough to know when she was hiding something.

"Brett was on the whiskey" It was all she had to say. Her alcoholic son of a bitch dad had tried to get into her bedroom. Again. Tate's blood went lava hot in his veins as he got angry. Very angry. Before the red mist completely blurred his vision, he was brough back to reality with the sound of his girl sobbing loudly. His tough girl rarely cried. Throwing his arms around her, he pulled her close & kissed her soft hair. "You're crashing at mine this weekend" He told her as she slowly calmed down.

"What about your mom?" She asked, pulling away & looking up at him. His mother, a term that he didn't think could ever apply to the woman, didn't approve of Scarlett dating her "perfect" Tate. She called her the scarlett woman, the name apparently fitting for her son's girlfriend. Not that it was any of the older woman's business but the young couple had only had sex with one person - each other so for his mom to basically call his girl a slut was crossing a line.

"Constance will just have to suck it up. I'm not letting you go home to that drunken asshole so after school, we'll go to yours & you can get what you need then you're staying at mine. No arguing on this, babe." It was times like this that Scarlett loved how protective he was. Knowing he loved her enough to keep her safe.

The end of the day finally arrived & the bell rang. Scarlett took a deep breath before packing her art supplies away & grabbed her backpack, heading to the door where her boyfriend greeted her. They didn't say much as they took the short walk to the Sunshine Meadow trailer park that she lived in, their hands joined & her heart was beating so loud, she was sure Tate could hear it as she opened the door to her mobile home & climbed in. Brett was passed out where he had been this morning. He was breathing though.

"Go get your stuff. I'll wait at the door, babe." Tate told her as she unlocked her bedroom door & walked inside, grabbing her overnight bag & throwing it on her mattress. Her boyfriend stood guard at the door, watching the older man on the sofa. Scarlett grabbed her toiletries & make up, shoving it in her open bag before going to her small closet & grabbing underwear, some dresses, t shirts, shorts & put it in her bag. When she went to lift her pyjamas, Tate stopped her.

"You don't need them, babe. You can wear one of my t shirts to bed" He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Whenever she had stayed over, it had been when Tate's family were away for the night & the young couple had more sex than usual so pyjamas were never really needed. This was the first time she was properly sleeping over for reasons more than sex. Scarlett nodded & zipped her bag up. As she locked up her bedroom door, Tate led the way out of the front door & they were on their way.

As they approached Tate's house, it never failed to take her breath away. The house was built in the 1920's & it was incredibly beautiful. The complete opposite of her shitty trailer. They walked in the front door to be greeted by Addie, Tate's older sister. She had Down's syndrome but that didn't even matter. She was a lovely girl who was bubbly & friendly & Scarlett liked her a lot. Tate was close to her, protective of his elder sibling & determined to keep her away from any negatitivity.

"Scarlett!" She cheered, jumping on the spot.

"Hi Addie" Scarlett smiled, waving at the happy girl who was babbling excitedly about how her brother's girlfriend was a pretty girl. That seemed to be a big thing for Addie, to be what she considered a pretty girl. Scarlett thought the older girl already was a pretty girl but the elder Langdon wouldn't hear of it.

"Is Constance or Larry home?" Tate asked his sister, as he closed the front door. Addie shook her head. Constance's latest husband Larry was a quiet man, at his wife's beck & call. Tate hated him. Not as much as he hated his mother though.

"Larry is at work & mom is at the beauty salon but she will be home soon" & Tate nodded.

"We'll be in my room for the rest of the night, okay. Tell Constance I don't want any dinner" & he patted his sister's shoulder gently before he started to head upstairs. "Let's go to my room, babe" He smiled softly at Scarlett as she followed him up the staircase to his room.

The room was huge with grey walls & dark wooden floors. It was at least three times the size of Scarlett's bedroom but he never once commented on it. He might have lived in a fancy house but Tate wasn't some sort of rich kid, he didn't care that she lived in a trailer park. Scarlett placed her bags down before sitting on his bed as he locked the door & turned to face her.

"Thank you again for letting me stay here, darling" He blushed slightly as she called him her rarely used term of endearment. She only called him that when she really meant something.

"You don't need to thank me. I'd do anything to keep you, babe" He told her as he took her hand & helped her stand up. His arms snaked around her waist as he leaned down, their lips connecting in a soft kiss. Her arms circled his neck, keeping him close to her. "I love you" He whispered. Tate told he loved her a lot when they were alone. He was guarded in front of who he considered outsiders. Outsiders being everyone except Scarlett.

"I love you too" She replied, leaning her head against his chest & breathing in his scent of cigarettes & some cologne his mom bought him for Christmas. Tate really didn't give a shit what he looked like but he liked to smell nice after Scarlett mentioned that she loved when he wore cologne when they had first started dating two years earlier so he wore it mainly for her. The young couple embraced in silence for a few minutes when Tate gently pulled away & headed to his cd player, pressing play as Nirvana's cover of "Where did you Sleep Last Night" started to play. They both loved the band, while Tate idolised Kurt Cobain, the lead singer. Tate & Scarlett lay on his bed, him on his back as she rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat & the echo of his voice as he quietly sang along.

"Tate Langdon, do you have that harlot of a girl in your room, young man?" Constance's southern accent boomed from the otherside of the bedroom door. Tate sat up & shook his head, glaring at the door.

"Go away, Constance" He yelled back causing his mother to rain wild knocks on the door.

"You open this door right now!" She screeched.

"Maybe I should go, Tate" Scarlett started to stand up when Tate wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back onto the bed beside him.

"No. You're staying here, okay. Constance can fuck off" He told his visibly worried girlfriend before kissing her forehead & standing up. Marching to his bedroom door, he unlocked it before he threw it open, revealing his fuming mother. "What is it?"

"That girl is **not** staying in this house" Constance spat, her face red with anger. Tate shook his head.

"My girlfriend is staying tonight. Tomorrow night too. She goes, I go." He squared his shoulders, as if he was trying to appear taller. His mother glared at him.

"It is immoral & inappropriate" Her finger pointing in his face, as the mother & son went head to head.

"I'm seventeen years old, Constance. I have a girlfriend, I have hormones, I have sex" Tate shot back causing his mom to shut her mouth immediately. She looked at him as if he had slapped her across the face as she stared at him."Scarlett is staying" & he slammed the door hard before locking it. "i hate that old bitch" He said more to himself than anything else as he went to his bathroom & closed the door.

Scarlett was sitting on the bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. She waited a minute before standing up & grabbing her bags. Her being here wasn't worth Tate fighting with Constance so she would leave before he came out of the bathroom. Just as she went to unlock the door, Tate's voice stopped her.

"Scar, what are you doing? She could hear the hurt in every word.

"I'm going home, Tate. I don't wanna be the cause of another fight between you & your mom" Scarlett started to explain but was stopped when Tate took her bags from her before dropping them on the floor & taking her face in his hands

"Stay here with me. Please, baby. I need to keep you safe" He softly begged her, tears in his deep brown eyes. Nodding, Scarlett promised she would stay. She couldn't leave him like this. "Don't worry about Constance. I can deal with her"

"Okay" She replied as they looked at each other. Tate quickly glanced at her lips before looking back at her eyes. A second later, his lips mashed against hers, taking her surprise. As the kiss deepened, Tate's hands grabbed Scarlett's ass, lifting her up & pushing her back against the bedroom door. She wrapped her legs around his waist before he carried her over the bed, carefully laying her down it as he kneeled, taking his brown sweater & blue tshirt off & leaned down, kissing her again. His warm hands roamed her body as he pulled her tshirt up & over her head.

Tate wanted Scarlett. Bad.

As he unhooked her black bra, he pulled it off of her attacking her ample boobs with his mouth, her back arching as he took her nipple in his hot mouth, gently biting it.

"Tate" She moaned, her hand pulling at his hair & making him moan. Sitting back, he yanked her blue shorts down, deciding to leave those thigh high socks of hers. He always thought they were super sexy. As he leaned down to kiss her, she looked at him. "Those jeans better go now, mister" She warned him, her voice huskier & hotter sounding.

"Yes, ma'am" He replied, standing up & unbuclking his belt as quickly as good before pushing his jeans down & off, kicking them off & took his socks off while he was there. Standing there in just his red boxers, Scarlett could see how hard he was & licked her lips. She got off the bed & kneeled in front of him. She had never done this before & she could see the surprise in Tate's face as he took in the sight in front of him. "Scar, what are you doing?"

"You'll see" She practically purred, causing Tate to moan & rub his face. Taking his impressively hard dick out of his boxers, she took a deep breath. She had read about this in a magazine. She could do this. Remembering what she read, Scarlett went for it & judging by his reaction, her boyfriend was enjoying himself. As moaned & cursed, Scarlett took as much of him as she could before he stopped her. "Did I not do it right?" She asked looking up at him. He looked at her, his eyes filled with lust. He shook his head.

"You did a great fucking job, babe. Holy fuck" He breathed as he helped her stand up.

"Then why did you stop me?" She was a little hurt. Tate kissed her forehead.

"Because if I didn't stop you, it would all be over & I wanna get to the main event before that" He led her over to the bed & lay on it before pulling her on top of him. "Feel free to do that anytime though, babe" & he rolled them over.

Just as he lined himself up to enter her, there was a knock at the door.

"Tate?" Addie called.

"Not a good time, Addie" Tate yelled back, hoping his older sister would take the hint & go away. He was about to get laid & didn't want his sibling to ruin it for him.

"Okay" She said before they could hear her footsteps walking away. Thankfully, the interruption hadn't affected Tate's dick.

"You ready, baby?" He was his girlfriend who was giggling underneath him at the interruption.

"I sure am" She bit his lip as they kissed. Tate pushed into her, causing both of them to let out a deep moan. Sex with Scarlett was like nothing he could have ever dreamed of. It was so sensual & stimulating that he sometimes felt like he could stay inside her forever. Pushing himself in to her, she dug her nails in to his back as she bit his shoulders, desperately trying not to cry out. He knew she was close & to be honest, he was probably closer than she was. He had to make her come before he did. Tate held their hands above her head, pounding into his girlfriend, kissing her neck & leaving red marks as he went.

Scarlett's body was overwhelmed with sensations as Tate thrust into her, speeding up as she went. He rolled his hips slightly to the left & that was it. She felt the tingle start in her stomach. As it spread, she whispered in her boyfriend's ear.

"I love the way you stretch me" She told him, feeling him shiver. He loved when she talked dirty to him. "I'm gonna come, Tate. Help me come" She begged, biting his ear. His body stiffened as he sped up, become sloppier in his thrusts.

"Scarlett" His voice was strained as he came inside her, causing her to come as well. She cried his name before he collapsed on top of her. Both of them sweaty & silent. They just held each other, basking in the moment & gently kissing. They stayed like this until Tate had to say something.

"You can stay every weekend if that's what happens" The look on his face had his girlfriend laughing as she pushed him off her. He carefully took off the condom, tied the top of it & threw it in the trash can. "I can't believe I got my dick sucked" Scarlett groaned at his lewd comment, turning away from him & pulling the sheets over her body.

"Gross, Tate. Gross" She told him as he laughed.

"Well I did" He settled under the sheets before pulling his girlfriend against him, kissing her shoulder. "I love you" He told her as she yawned.

"I love you, stud" She teased, as she fell started to fall asleep.

As he watched her fall asleep, Tate smiled to himself. He loved Scarlett. She loved him even though he was a dick who was rude to her friends. He swore to himself that he would never let anyone or anything ever hurt her & he intended to keep his promise. She was everything to him & he would always protect her.

Her dad would be getting a little visit from Tate soon. No one messed with his girlfriend. Brett Smith had no idea what was in store for him.

Closing his eyes, Tate pulled his sleeping girl closer to him.

"I'll never let your dad hurt you again" He whispered before falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas :) Tate & Scarlett's Saturday is gonna be fun!**

Scarlett woke up wrapped in Tate's arms. It was perfect. Well, it would be if she wasn't sweating like she had just finished gym class & really needing to pee. Attractive or what? She tried to move his arm that was draped around her stomach without much luck, it was like it was super glued to her skin or something. Sighing in defeat, she looked at her sleeping beauty & smiled. Damn, he was beautiful. Sleep made him look so young & angelic, his face so peaceful & perfect. Glancing at his alarm clock that he claimed never worked, she saw it was 9.15am which was a lot earlier than she normally woke up at the weekend & she wanted to go back to sleep but she really had to pee.

"Tate" She gently touched his face. He stirred, moaning that it was too early. "I need to go to the bathroom. You need to move your arm" She told him. After a minute, he finally moved his arm, lying on his back with his eyes closed as she climbed out of his bed. That's when she realised she was as naked as the day she was born. "Shit" Scarlett muttered to herself as she searched for something to put on before grabbing one of her boyfriend's tshirts from a pile next to his desk. It wasn't clean but at that moment, she really didn't care. Pulling the white tshirt over her head & on to her body, she began to head to the bathroom.

When she came back out, Tate was still asleep. Or so she thought. As she turned to close & lock the door behind her, she nearly had a heart attack as she realised Tate was watching her as he sat on the bed, leaning against the wall with the sheets covering the bottom of his body, exposing his pale, toned chest. He looked her up & down, whistling as he did.

"Gotta say, Scar you look sexy as hell in my tshirt, babe" She blushed as she headed to her clothes. "What are you doing? Its 9.30 on a Saturday morning, get back in bed" He held the sheet back for her to get back in.

"I don't want Constance to yell at you again for me still being here, Tate" She started to explain when her boyfriend stopped her.

"Don't worry about her." He told her, patting the bed. Sighing, she began to climb in when he stopped her.

"What? She asked, confused.

"The tshirt. It's gotta go. There's a no clothes rule in my bed, baby & you gotta respect it." Tate smiled as she rolled her eyes, climbing in beside him, pulling the sheet up to her shoulders & then taking the tshirt off, throwing it on the floor.

"Really, Scar?" Tate looked at her, his dark eyebrows raised. She shrugged.

"Suck it up, Langdon" & she stuck her tongue out at him. "Wait a minute, if that's the rule, does that mean when you & Stephanie Boggs worked on that History assignment together, she was naked?" The blonde looked like he was gonna vomit.

"I would rather see Constance naked than Stephanie fucking Boggs" Tate shivered at the thought. "Only one girl has been naked in my bed, Scar. Courtney Love & what a dream that was" He teased. She punched his arm, making him laugh as he pulled her close.

"I wouldn't mind having her naked in my bed" Scarlett admitted causing Tate's head to whip round so fast, she was sure he had whiplash.

"Really? As hot as that sounds, I couldn't handle you with anyone else. Mega hot Courtney Love included" He kissed her head. "Although it's a nice mental image"

"For me too, darling" She patted his cheek before kissing his head. "So what do you wanna do today?" Scarlett asked, yawning.

"Nothing at all. I wanna lie in my bed all day, naked with my mega babe girlfriend" Tate said, making Scarlett laugh as she yawned again. She was still tired & wanted to go back to sleep badly. Tate realised this & lay down beside her. "Let's go back to sleep for a while then decide what we're gonna do, huh babe?" & she nodded, liking the sound of that a lot. She curled up next to him as he talked quietly about nothing inparticular before falling asleep a minute never failed to make amaze him just how quickly his girlfriend could fall asleep & it was even a light sleep, it was deep. Just as he went to fall asleep, his stomach rumbled. He hadn't eaten since yesterday & neither had Scarlett. Deciding he valued food over sleep in this situation, he climbed out of his bed careful not to wake the blonde up. She didn't even stir. Tate grabbed a red tshirt & a pair of blue pyjama pants & put them on before unlocking his bedroom door & heading to the bathroom.

He brushed his teeth, washed his face & peed before heading downstairs to the kitchen. As he entered, he was greeted by his mother sitting at the breakfast bar, smoking a cigarette & drinking a coffee. They never said a word to each other as Tate grabbed two glasses & filled them with orange juice before making some toast, sloppily buttering it before getting ready to head back upstairs. Just as he thought he was homefree, there was a voice.

"Tate, honey" Constance's southern drawl called him. Sighing, he turned around to look at the older woman.

"What?" He asked, the annoyance clear in his voice. He really didn't care for this.

"Why do insist on breaking your mother's heart?" & he laughing humorlessly. She looked st him, anger on her aging face as she stubbed out her cigarette.

"Breaking your heart, Constance? Seriously?" He smirked, turning to leave to head back upstairs.

"Letting that trailer park whore stay under my roof when I told you I wanted her gone." That was it. Tate saw red & spun back round. He was furious.

"Scarlett's a whore? Scarlett? Theres only one whore in this house, Constance. Go take a long look in the mirror before you start throwing that word around" He spat each word, venom clear in each. She had crossed a line. No one talked badly about Scarlett. No one.

"I see she's got you wrapped around her little finger." Constance took a sip of coffee as her son glared at her. "Do you have any idea how embarrasing it is being associated with the town drunk? I can barely show my face at the beauty salon with the shame! All of the girls in school, Tate & you end up with the Smith girl" & in that moment, Tate's face took on an expression that his mother had never seen before. He looked evil. It made the older woman shiver with fear.

"You ever talk badly of my girlfriend again, Constance & I'll make you suffer." He leaned in to her face, his voice low & menancing. "Do not cross me." & he stood up straight before turning around & heading back upstairs, leaving his mother shaken & reaching for another cigarette.

Scarlett lay in Tate's bed, wide awake & wishing that she had just stayed home last night. She hated the fact that she had caused a fight between mother & son. Just as she went to stand up, the door opened & her boyfriend walked in.

"I brought breakfast" He smiled, as he watched her pull on his tshirt that she had taken off earlier. She nodded & headed to her overnight bag that was to the right of the bedroom door. As she unzipped it & started to pull out some clothes, Tate stopped her. "What are you doing, Scar?" He asked, standing behind her.

"I heard what your mom said, Tate. She thinks I'm a whore & Brett is the town drunk. I've never been anything close to a whore in my life" She looked back down at the bag, pulling out a black baby doll dress, some clean underwear, her toothbrush before zipping the bag again, getting ready to head to the bathroom to wash herself & get dressed. She headed down the hall to the bathroom before shutting the door. Just before it closed, it was pushed open & Tate walked in, slamming the door behind him & locking it. He didn't say a word as she put her things down & turned the shower on before taking her shrt off before tying her hair up & stepping into the shower.

"Don't leave me" He begged as she washed herself. Stopping what she was doing, she looked at him. Tate was crying, Really crying real tears. Scarlett felt her heart drop at the sight of her love upset, he was a sensitive guy. Not that anyone except her ever saw this except her.

"I'm not leaving you, darling" She told him, turning the shower off. His tears had soaked his handsome face as he tried to wipe them away but as he did that, more came. Tate was genuinely distressed & it was breaking his girlfriend's heart to see him like this. Climbing carefully out of the shower, she wrapped her body in a soft white towel before taking his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Tate, I'm not going anywhere."

"You promise?" He sniffed, searching her face for some kind of answer. She nodded, wiping the tears away with her thumbs, trying to comfort & reassure him.

"I promise you, Tate" & she pulled him into a deep hug.

"You're mine forever, aren't you Scar?" He whispered, pulling her in closer, as if he wanted to never let her go. What the hell was going on with him? Tate got upset from time to time but he was never this needy.

"Yes, I'm yours forever" & she started to pull away. She needed to get dressed & was starting to get cold. Tate didn't let her go initially but after a few minutes, he kissed her neck once before letting her go & pulling his tshirt off. Scarlett was drying off her body when Tate turned the shower on & stepped out off his pyjama bottoms before getting in the shower. There was silence as he washed his hair & she brushed her teeth then put her clothes on. "Tate" She interrupted the silence as he turned the shower off. He looked at her. "Are you okay?" It was really bothering her how upset he had been after she mentioned leaving. Nodding, her grabbed a towel & wiped his face before wrapping it around his waist. Taking another towel, he rubbed his wet hair with it before drying his upper body & opened the bathroom door. He headed to his bedroom, leaving his confused girlfriend behind.

"HI Scarlett" Addie smiled as she appeared in front of her as the younger girl went to head back to the blonde boy's bedroom. "Did you & Tate have a fight?" She asked. Scarlett shook her head.

"No, Addie. We didn't have a fight. I gotta go finish getting ready but I'll see you later on, okay?" She patted Addie's arm before heading back to the room. When she got in, she closed & locked the door. Tate had his back to her as he stood at his closet in just his boxers & pulled out a white shirt & a brown sweater before throwing them on his bed. He shoved on the jeans he had on yesterday then put on some deodorant before putting on the rest of clothes. He didn't say a word the whole time.

Sighing, Scarlett applied her make up, brushed & sorted her hair then pulled her black thigh high socks on & her Doc Marterns before shoving on her plaid shirt with her thin, tan coloured cardigan on top. She sprayed some of her cheap perfume before putting on a thin gold necklace & a pair of stud earrings. Shoving everything else back in her bag, she looked at her boyfriend who was tying his battered Converse as he sat on the bed.

"I'll see you at school, Tate" Scarlett unlocked the door & opened it. She got to the top of the stairs before a hand grabbed her bag from her, stopping her on the spot. He went back to his bedroom, put the bags in, slammed the door & locked it before coming back & walking downstairs. He was making her head spin with this shit. Shaking her head, she followed him downstairs & out of the front door. It was 11.30am & there was a chill in the air but it was a lovely day. "Are we gonna play the silence game the whole damn day, Tate?" She had reached her limit. He stopped, his back to her as they walked in the direction of the beach. Well Tate was walking in that direction, Scarlett just followed after him. Her boyfriend finally turned round to face her, his face with a gentle expression.

"I'm embarassed, okay?" Tate admitted, breaking his silence. "I just cried like a baby cause I was worried you would leave me." He pulled at a stray thread that had came loose at on the sleeve of his sweater. Scarlett slowly walked over to him, standing in front of him.

"Can i have a hug, please?" She needed it. Her emotions were shot. Tate pulled her close by wrapping his arms around her shoulders so she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Please don't shut me out again, Tate. It hurts a lot" She confessed. He held her tighter.

"I'm sorry" He told her, his voice genuine as he kissed her hair. Sometimes, he never thought about how his behaviour made his girlfriend feel & he hated himself for it. Scarlett didn't deserve that shit, especially after how much she already had to deal with. The fight with Constance had made Tate paranoid. Paranoid that he would lose the only person in his life that he genuinely loved with all of his heart. Of course he loved Addie but Scarlett was...Scarlett. His girl, his love, his world. If he lost her, he would lose everything. The thought of a life without her was too difficult to think Constance cost him his relationship & his one chance at true love & a life of happiness, he would make hers not worth living.

"What's the plans for today then?" Scarlett asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. Tate kissed her & smiled.

"Beach?" It was his favourite place in the world. His girlfriend nodded.

"Beach" She agreed. He took her hand & the young couple headed to the one place Tate felt normal, free. The one place he was just a normal teenage boy.

Constance wasn't taking Scarlett away from him. He would make sure of that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! I just realised I owe you an apology. There's been a few mistakes in this story with my grammar. My best friend/proof reader/studying English at college sends his apologies also as these mistakes escaped him too. We're both sorry & will be checking as many times as needed so this post is absolutely perfect! Enjoy & don't be shy to let me know what you think or any suggestions you have, I welcome it all :)**

Tate & Scarlett spent three hours at the beach. They didn't swim or sunbathe. They just talked & ate some ice cream. Tate felt he had some grovelling to do after his behaviour earlier in the morning, guilt eating away at him as he thought about the hurt look on his girlfriend's beautiful face as she tried to keep up with his overdramatic behaviour. They walked barefoot along the sand, hand in hand as the waves gently wet their feet. It was lovely.

They headed back to Tate's house, tired from the sun. Just as they walked in the front door, they were met with Constance & Larry watching tv in the family room. It was awkward to say the least. Larry was a nice enough guy. Scarlett couldn't see why Tate hated him so much but she guessed it was due to some long lasting sense of loyality to his absent father, Hugo who hadn't been seen or heard from since Tate was a kid.

"Hello Tate. Scarlett" The older man smiled. Scarlett smiled briefly, out of politeness while her boyfriend completely ignored the man. It was like the mask was back on. Gone was her considerate, sweet boyfriend & now it was the rude, anti-social dick he became around every other person except from his girlfriend & his sister. As of late, Tate's attitude had became more & more exhausting to try & keep up with, leaving Scarlett feeling emotionally drained. She was secretly worried there was drugs involved but couldn't find the right moment, or the courage, to bring it up to her boyfriend so she kept it to herself. She prayed he wasn't taking any drugs though, it would be the end of their relationship. Scarlett could handle moods, she could handle the drama but she couldn't & wouldn't handle drugs being a part of his life. There was already one addict in her life with her dad & she had no room emotionally or mentally for another one. Whether it was the love of her life or not.

Constance didn't even look at the young couple as she watched some trashy soap opera, smoking as usual. Scarlett headed upstairs as Tate headed to the kitchen to get them some lunch. She pulled off her cardigan, boots & lay on his bed, staring at the celling. Something had to be done about his mood swings. She had to trust that he wasn't stupid enough to do drugs, he was a smart guy. He knew how dangerous they could be, well at least she hoped he did. Staring into space, she didn't hear him come in & put two plates down on his desk.

"Scar?" Tate's voice interrupted her thoughts. Sitting up, she looked at him. He had that sweet smile on his face only she saw.

"Sorry, I was in my own world" She moved her bangs out of her eyes as he took his sweater off & handed her a plate. It was a peanut butter sandwich, her favourite. "Thank you, baby" She took a bite of her sandwich as he sat beside her, taking a large bite of his. Stopping, he reached into his pockets & pulled out two bottles of water before handing her one. Smiling, Scarlett opened it, taking a long drink. They ate their lunch in silence.

"Are you mad at me for this morning?" He said it so fast, she could barely make it out. It had clearly been on his mind all day. Scarlett shook her head & stood up off of the bed, placing the empty plate on his desk & the empty water bottle in the small trash can to the left of it. Taking a deep breath, she turned around to face her boyfriend.

"I'm not mad, Tate but these mood swings have gotta stop. I can't keep up with them" She couldn't make eye contact, knowing her words would hurt him but she had to say them out loud. She had to stand her ground, let him know how his actions affected her. If she didn't, she would end up hating him & she didn't want that.

"Scar, I...I..." He stuttered, clearly not expecting her words. Standing up, he quickly walked over to her, taking her hands in his. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say" He looked wounded. It was the only way to describe it & Scarlett felt awful.

"I know you hate your mom & Larry & I get it. I know that Stephanie & Kevin & everyone else at school annoy you but Tate, you can't go to war against the world. You need to let those walls you've built around yourself down. You're not the total dick everyone else thinks you are. You're so sweet & really funny & you've got my favourite smile in the world but no one sees it because you're constantly on the defence." Scarlett kissed him softly. "I love you, Tate Langdon. I love you so much, I want everyone to love you too. To see the good in you that I see"

Tate listened to every word his girlfriend said. He had been cut off from everyone most of his life. A wall between him & everyone in his life. Well, until a small blonde in a Hole tshirt walked in & managed to get through. Scarlett was the new student in Westfield high when he was paired up with her in English class. He thought she was hot but he would keep her at a distance, like everyone else. Tate didn't do friends. He didn't want or need them. Of course that didn't stop Scarlett. She said hi to him everytime she saw him, asked him how his weekend was or if he had heard the new Nirvana song. It was annoying at first but after a few months, he found himself asking her to hang out. It wasn't something he usually did. He usually avoided human interaction at all costs. She said yes, they met at the beach, talked, ate ice cream & talked. Tate felt the most comfortable that he had in years. She didn't try to force conversation or talk non stop about herself. She listened when he talked & asked questions. As he walked her home, she was embarrased when he saw where she lived but he honestly didn't give a shit. Where she lived didn't matter. As they said their goodbyes, Tate hugged her. It was the first person that wasn't Addie that he had embraced since he was a kid. Scarlett smelled of coconut & cheap perfume & Tate was hooked.

They continued to say hello to each other in class, occassionally eating lunch together & sharing their cd collection when Tate realised he liked her, like really liked her. Her soft voice & pretty smile. Her cool dress sense & even cooler music collection. He liked it all. After weeks of trying to find the balls to tell her, they were hanging out at lunch one Friday when she laughed at a joke he had told her. The way her eyes sparkled & how beautiful she looked, it took his breath away. When she stopped laughing, she reached into her backpack & handed him a folded up piece of paper.

"Don't open this until you're alone" She told him. He nodded, shoving it in his pocket. Later, when he was in French class, he opened the paper. It was a drawing of him. He was smiling with the beach behind him. It was incredible. Below the drawing was some words in really cool writing.  
" **You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.**  
 **You make me happy when skies are grey...**  
 **Thank you for letting me in, Tate Langdon.**  
 **S + T Forever friends."**

No one had ever done something so amazing for him. Ever.

When the bell rang signalling the end of the day, Tate stood up, packed his things away, grabbed his backpack & left the class. He had to find her. After a few minutes, she appeared in his line of vision. She was wearing her Doc Martens, ripped black tights, a red skirt & a black shirt with a flowery black tshirt. He would never forget that. A massive smile took over her face as she saw him. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to her.

"Hi, ready to get outta here?" She started when Tate placed a hand on her soft face & leaned in & kissed her. Scarlett's lips tasted like cherries as she eventually kissed him back when the inital shock had worn off. There was whistles as people walked by causing Scarlett to pull away, clearly blushing from the attention.

"I opened the drawing. You're really talented, Scar" He told her, his hands on her waist.

"It was just a little doodle" She moved some hair from her face & smiled at him. She didn't think her artwork was all that good but Tate did. He thought she was amazing.

"Let's get out of here" They started to walk out of the building when Tate took her hand. They seemed to fit like jigsaw pieces. Neither of them commented on it, just kept walking, ignoring the stares of their school mates.

It was later that night when Tate called Scarlett that he asked her to be his girlfriend after a 25 minute talk about how "Even Flow" by Pearl Jam was one of the best songs ever written in the history of music, if not the world. He just said it. It just came out.

"Uh, Scarlett. Do you wanna be my girlfriend?" & she paused for a minute.

"Yeah" She replied. "So did you do the homework for English?" & that was it. Tate Langdon had a girlfriend.

Snapping out of his daydream, Tate looked into those green eyes he had fallen in love when she laughed at his lame joke two years earlier.

"I'll try" He promised. That was the best he could do. He was never gonna be mr popular, friends with everyone & the life & soul of the party but he would try be nicer. For Scarlett. He would do anything for her.

"Thank you" His girlfriend smiled brightly, kissing his nose & making him laugh. The words she had written on the drawing echoed in his mind.

 **S + T Forever**.


	5. Chapter 5

**Well this is going a lot better than I expected! I started this on Christmas day & it already has 100+ views which is a lovely surprise so thank you all, I really appreciate it. I write two chapters in a row with a soundtrack of Nirvana, Hole ("Malibu" makes me think of Scarlett), 4 Non Blondes & Pearl Jam ("Jeremy" feels fitting for Tate) & I get lost in my writing so I'll update everyday, sometimes twice so be sure to check.**

 **Thank you all for reading what I write & coming into the little world I've created :)**

 **Ps; things get a little (big time) sad in this chapter so be warned :(**

Saturday night was uneventful. Tate & Scarlett watched a movie, cuddled on his bed & ate pepperoni pizza until she fell asleep at half past midnight, exhausted. Tate watched the rest of the movie, which was pretty lame & not that great, as his girlfriend slept. When the movie was finally done, he pulled off his pyjama top before getting comfy. His bedroom was always too hot so he usually slept in his boxers or he would wake up sweating like crazy the next morning. Scarlett was in one of his tshirts, she refused to sleep naked in case there was a fire or some shit, which made no sense considering she didn't have an issue with it the night before. Smiling to himself, Tate pulled her close & eventually fell into a deep sleep.

Scarlett woke up first again. Glancing at the alarm clock, she saw it was 10.15am. At least it wasn't as early as yesterday she supposed as she climbed out of the bed, headed to the door, unlocked it & quietly crept to the bathroom, She peed & brushed her teeth before heading back to the bedroom. Just as she went to close the door, Constance appeared. Scarlett was so surprised, she didn't say a word as the older woman leaned into her face.

"You'll be out of his life soon, little girl." Her voice low & menancing. Constance straightened up before heading on her way as if nothing had happened. Scarlett stood for a minute before closing the door & locking it. She was close to tears as the woman's words echoed in her ears. She really hated Scarlett. The reason? Who knew. Probably thought the younger girl wasn't worthy of her "perfect boy" which was pretty funny when you thought about considering Tate hated his mother with every bit of him. Taking her thigh high socks, she shoved them on before putting on her denim shorts, Nirvana tshirt & blue cardigan. After she put everything in her bag, she put her Doc Martens on before looking at the bed. Tate was fast asleep, looking as peaceful & beautiful as ever. She took a sheet of paper from a notebook on his desk before grabbing a pen.

 **"I'm sorry you had to wake up alone. I loved falling asleep & waking up beside you. Its just, I need to go home. You'll probably be mad as you read this. Muttering to yourself & worrying that you've done something wrong. But you haven't. You've kept me safe these last few days. I will never forget it.**  
 **I think you need to work on the shit going out with your mom. You owe it to yourself & me being here is only making it worse. **  
**I'll call you later & see you at school tomorrow.**  
 **You are my sunshine & I love you.**

 **Scar x"**

She put the pen down, lifted the paper & headed over to the bed. She put the note on the pillow next you him before softly kissing his cheek. He didn't wake up but stirred a little.

"I love you. Forever & always" She whispered before moving some hair from his forehead then stood up. Grabbing her bags, she unlocked the door before walking out & closing it as quietly as she could manage. She reached the bottom of the stairs & was about to open the front door when Addie appeared beside her.

"Are you leaving, Scarlett? Why isn't Tate walking you home?" She asked, confusion in her voice.

"He's still asleep. Just tell him that I'm sorry okay, Addie?" & the older girl nodded. "Bye, pretty girl" Scarlett smiled sadly before leaving.

"Bye Scarlett" Her boyfriend's sister called after her.

Tate reached to his left as he started to wake up. The space next to him was cold & empty. His eyes shot open as his hands searched for Scarlett. She wasn't there & hadn't been for a while. Sitting up, he wiped his eyes. Where the hell was she? Maybe she was with Addie, they got on well & were probably hanging out. Yeah, that's gotta be it. Or maybe she was in the shower. Tate turned to lay back down when he saw a piece of paper on the pillow next to him so he grabbed it, reading over it. His heartbeat sped up. She was gone. She had left him while he was asleep.

"No. No. No. NO" He muttered to himself as quickly he got out of the bed & shoved on a tshirt & pyjama pants, almost falling over in the process. He threw his bedroom door wide open & was met by his sister. "Addie, where's Scarlett?" His voice more aggressive than he meant it to be.

"She went home this morning. She said you were still asleep & that I've to tell you that she's sorry" & Tate's heart sank. Nodding, he ran back into his room & pulled out some clean boxers, his brown pants & a black tshirt & got dressed. He then basically sprinted to the bathroom, peed, washed his face, sprayed some deodorant, brushed his teeth & ran downstairs. He had never been ready as fast in his life but this was urgent. Throwing the front door opened, he bolted out of it, slamming it behind him & headed in the direction of his girlfriend's house.

Scarlett was just out of the shower. Brett wasn't home, which she was extremely grateful for. She was drying hair when there was a loud, fast knock at the door. Shoving on her dressing gown, she cautiously opened the door to be greeted with her boyfriend. He looked tired & really upset.

"Hey" She opened the door further & he walked in, never taking his eyes off of her as she walked in front of him. He followed her into her bedroom & closed the door as she stood with her back to him, scared to look at him. A silence fell upon the room.

"What the hell was the disappearing act about, Scarlett?" Tate's voice was calm & even as he folded his arms in front of his chest. He had used her full name so she knew she was in trouble & her heart sank.

"It doesn't matter, Tate" She started when he cut her off, grabbing her arm & pulling her around to face him. His handsome face was angry & she felt herself shrink down, panic spreading through her. When he noticed this, he let her go & took a deep breath.

"It does matter, Scar. It matters to me why my girlfriend basically ran out of my house while I was asleep. What the hell happened? & don't say nothing because I know you better than anyone & I know when you're lying to me" the aggression in his voice fading as he looked at the little blonde. All he wanted was the truth. After a few minutes, Scarlett finally spoke.

"Constance spoke to me when I was coming back from the bathroom" She confessed, her green eyes finally meeting his. Tate felt the anger coming back. His fucking mother. He should have known the bitter old bitch would have played a part.

"What did she say?" He knew it would just add fuel to the fire but he had to know.

"That I would be out of your life soon enough" Scarlett whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. "I can't live like this, Tate. Scared to go to your house in case you mom yells at me or calls me a whore." & Tate felt dizzy. This was beginning to sound like a break up. No. No. No.

"Scarlett..." Tears began to blur his vision as he desperately tried to stop this from happening. She took his hands in hers.

"I think we need some time apart, Tate. Just until this shit with Constance blows over" & just like that, Tate's world fell apart. He had lost his everything with one sentence & all because of his mother. Tears poured down his face.

"No. Scar, don't do this. Please" He begged, falling to his knees with grief as he wrapped his arms around her waist & hugged her, his head on her stomach. "I need you. You're all I have. I love you. Please" He was getting hysterical now. He felt sick. She pulled his arms from around her stomach & kneeled down facing him. Taking his face in her hands, she forced him to look at her. Tears were falling as she spoke.

"I love you more than anything in the world, Tate. You are my sunshine" She wiped under his eyes with her thumbs. "but I can't keep with you. Your mom hates me, baby" Tate let out a sob & closed his eyes. "Just give me a few days. Please"

"Don't do this, Scar. Please" He was falling apart in her hands & she felt guilty & broken hearted but she needed to do this. When she didn't reply, Tate pulled her towards him & kissed her deeply, putting every emotion he could into it. It was the most emotional kiss they had ever had. Pulling away, Scarlett stood up & took a deep breath. Tate staggered to his feet, wishing this was all a horrible nightmare that he could wake up from any minute.

"You should go home, Tate" She told him. His heart was breaking & he couldn't do anything to stop it. Nodding, he turned to leave. She followed after him. Before he stepped out the door, he turned around & kissed her once before leaving her. Scarlett let out a sob as she closed the door & went to her bedroom before locking the door & climbing on her mattress. It was the worst experience of her life. She had just lost Tate & it was her own fault.

Tate ran home. Running helped him think. All he could think of was Scarlett. Her laugh. Her eyes. Her smile. Her scent. Her. All of her. After 15minutes, he was home. Throwing the front door opened, his eyes were red & stinging from crying & he was shaking.

"Tate, honey? Is that you?" Constance called from the kitchen. Almost robotic in his movements, he headed to his mother. Taking in his appearance, the older woman stood up from her chair & stood in front of him, a concerned look on her face as she took in her son. He looked like hell. "What's happened?"

"You." His voice was eerily calm as he stared his mother in the eyes.

"Me? What do you mean?" She placed her hand on her son's arms but he pulled it away as if it burned him.

"Scarlett. She doesn't wanna be with me because of **you.** How fucking dare you, Constance" He spat, getting in her face. She took a step back.

"Tate, honey. I didn't..." She started but he cut her off.

"You'll pay for this, you evil old bitch" & she felt faint. He was serious. Tate stared at her before turning around & walking upstairs. Constance sagged down on a chair & reached for her cigarettes, her hand shaking as she tried to light it.

Tate lay on his bed, Nirvana blasting so loud, the bass echoed through the house. He didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. Scarlett didn't want him. Tears soaked his tshirt & pillow was he hugged her pillow. It smelled of her - coconut & cheap perfume.

He wasn't giving up on her. He would get her back.

Sitting up, Tate started making a plan. He would get her flowers, he would be nice to her friends, he would be at school on time, he would wear that cologne she liked. He would also have Constance keep her fucking opinions to herself. He would do anything to get his girl back.

Tate wasn't Tate without Scarlett & if he didn't get his girlfriend back, Constance would pay. With her life.


	6. Chapter 6

**The last chapter was so hard to write! I felt as if it was me breaking up with Tate & I had tears, real tears. Break ups real & fictional hurt just the same it seems lol. **

**This chapter is drama, drama, drama. This is the beginning of the sequence of events that lead Tate to do what eventually makes him infamous.**

 **Here we go for chapter 6. Enjoy!**

Scarlett woke up for school an hour earlier than usual after a sleepless, tear filled night. Her dad hadn't come home which was one positive of the last two days. Climbing off her mattress, she went to the shower, washed, brushed her teeth & headed back to her bedroom. Pulling on her black tshirt dress with black tights, Scarlett brushed her hair & put some mascara & clear lipgloss on. She couldn't be bothered with her usual heavy make up.

Shoving on her Doc Martens, Scarlett put on her blue plaid shirt before grabbing her backpack, spraying some perfume & leaving. School was the last place she wanted to be. Tate probably wouldn't show up so that was making it a little easier.

As the building came into sight, she took a deep breath to calm herself & walked in. She was greeted by Stephanie, who immediately launched into a rant about how she hated boys when she looked at Scarlett.

"What's wrong?" The blonde goth asked. Scarlett looked awful. She had none of her usual heavy make up on & looked exhausted. The little blonde shook her head & walked away, not ready to talk about it. Stephanie just watched her leave, knowing her friend would come to her when she needed her.

When the bell rang, Scarlett headed to History & sat in her normal seat. Tate wasn't there & she thanked whatever God was responsible for this as she took out her book, notebook & a pencil. Kevin Gedman sat in the seat next to her, Tate's chair. It didn't feel right.

"Hey Scar" He smiled.

"Hi" She replied, her voice quiet as she avoided eye contact.

"Are you okay?" He asked, leaning forward & putting his hand on top of hers. It didn't feel right. His hand was softer & smaller than Tate's.

"It's over" She practically whispered, saying it out loud make her heart hurt even more as it made it feel real. Kevin stared at her, surprised.

"I'm so sorry, Scarlett" & He squeezed her hand before he was interrupted by someone standing in front of him. Tate. Scarlett's heart thumped as she looked at her ex. He looked tired & pale, his dark brown eyes bloodshot.

"Tate..."She gasped, practically ripping her hand from the brunette boy's as Tate stared at his classmate who dared to touch _his_ girl's hand. Fury swam through his veins as he took in the situation. He should have known Kevin fucking Gedman would be circling Scarlett like a vulture when the news of their break up got out. He just didn't think it would be so soon. Realising Kevin was in his seat, Tate took a breath before seating in the empty seat in the row in front of Scarlett, just to her right. He wanted to win her back  & as much as he wanted to punch that punk rock pussy's head into the floor right now, it wouldn't do him any favours.

Mrs Carter, the middle aged history teacher was half way through something about some war when Tate passed Scarlett a note. Well he gave it to Emma Davidson who was sitting beside him who passed it to his ex. She opened it & carefully read it.

 **"Meet me after class? Please. T"**

Looking up, Scarlett glanced at Tate before nodding. This wasn't a good idea & she knew it but she couldn't have said no if she tried. One look at him & she found herself saying yes.

The class ended & Tate packed up his things before heading out of the class. He waited at Scarlett's locker for her, nerves making him sweat. Why was he so nervous? It was Scarlett, the girl had had loved for two years & still was very much in love with. He watched the direction that she would walk but when she finally walked in his line of vision, she wasn't alone.

"Seriously, Kevin. It's very kind of you to offer but I have plans for lunch" She sounded annoyed & this made Tate very happy.

"Well if you changed your mind, you know where we are doll" & the smile was soon wiped off the tall blonde's face. Doll? Did Kevin Gedman just call Scarlett, _doll_? Seriously? His hands balled up into a fist as he watched the love of his life be hugged by some loser with a crush on her  & he was about to break Kevin's nose when Scarlett pushed him away, disguising it as playful behaviour but Tate knew her better than he knew anyone & his girl was uncomfortable. They might be on a break but Scarlett was still his. Kevin walked off in the direction of the cafeteria, not knowing how close he came to ending up in the hospital.

Scarlett took a deep breath before walking over to her ex, who was watching her. She felt herself blush under his intense stare, willing herself to stop.

"Hi" She greeted him, her voice soft & quiet as she pulled at the sleeves of her shirt. This was the most awkward things had ever been between them.

"Hey" He replied, smiling a half smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. There was silence for a few seconds when he cleared his throat. "Will you come to the beach with me?" This took Scarlett by surprise.

"The beach? When?" Did he mean tonight? The weekend?

"Now. We have study hall. No one will notice we're gone, Scar. Please" He then brought out the puppy dog eyes & she was powerless. She hated when he did that, like he knew she couldn't say no. Sighing, she moved her bangs out of her eyes.

"Okay" & his face lit up. Tate started to walk to the exit, Scarlett a few steps behind him. Here she was. Going to the beach with her ex who she was supposed to be on a break from, Way to go, Scarlett. Really doing well at that, she scolded herself.

After a 35minute walk filled with pointless small talk, they finally reached their destination. Tate pulled a tartan blanket from his backpack & placed it on sand, making sure it was spread evenly before sitting down. Scarlett took her backpack off before sitting beside him, careful to keep a small distance between them.

Tate stole glances at Scarlett as they sat in silence. She was beautiful. The gentle breeze from the sea blew her hair away from her face, showing just how flawless she was & he swore he fell in love with her all over again.

"Why am I here, Tate?" She asked, turning to look at him. He dropped his head before looking out at the sea.

"Because I can't sleep. I can't eat. I can't concentrate. It hurts to breathe, Scar." He confessed, his voice cracking with emotion as he held back tears. He wasn't trying to guilt trip her, he just wanted to let her know that he needed her. Scarlett didn't reply. She just stared out at the water & her face showed no emotion.

"It hurts me too, Tate but it's a break from our relationship. It aint gonna be easy but it has to be done" Her words stabbed at his chest like a knife. Reaching into his backpack, Tate pulled out a single blue rose & gently placed it on her lap. She looked at it & let out a sob. He panicked, he didn't want to upset her. She got up, still holding the rose, grabbed her backpack & stormed off the beach. Tate jumped up, grabbed the blanket & his backpack & ran after her. "Why do this to me, Tate?" She cried as he almost caught up with her. He grabbed her arm & swung her round to face him.

"Because I love you, Scarlett. Because you're my everything." It was from his heart. She wiped some tears from her face before taking a deep, calming breath.

"Just give me some time, Tate. Please" & she turned her back on him & walked away. This wasn't how he planned it to go.

They arrived back at school seperately before both heading to study hall. Tate felt like shit. He didn't think he could feel any worse but he could & did. This sucked. He sat in first empty seat he could see while Scarlett sat beside Stephanie who hugged her. What had he done?

The bell rang signalling the end of the day. Tate was gone by the time Scarlett was near the exit. He was probably avoiding her & she couldn't say she blamed him after her drama at the beach but she just felt bombarded. Like he wasn't realising how hard this was for her too. It hurt every part of her & she just wanted to hide away. She headed to her locker where Kevin was waiting.

"Hi" Her voice sounded so flat. Her locker was pretty popular today it would seem.

"Hey, Scarlett. I know you're bummed about breaking up with Tate but I gotta do this or I'll burst" & her broken heart sank. She knew where this was going & was seriously about to vomit as it dawned on her. "Scarlett, I like you. A lot." & he grabbed her face, kissing her. His kiss was horrible, sloppy & not Tate He backed her up against the locker, his hand grabbing roughly at her chest. She shoved him away from her as hard as she could manage before slapping his face with all her strength.

"How dare you!" She cried, running in the opposite direction as some of her school mates stared. She was humilated & emotionally exhausted. This was the last thing she needed.

"Everyone knows you're a slut, Scarlett. I mean, look at the shit you wear" He called after her.

As she ran out of the building, she kept going until she had to stop, throwing up on the sidewalk. She burst into tears before walking the rest of the way home as fast as she could.

Tate slowly walked home from school, feeling like the biggest idiot that ever lived. He had fucked up big time & he had no idea what he was gonna do to fix it.

The next morning, Tate got to school super early. He was gonna apologise to Scarlett, letting her know he would respect her wishes & give her space. After spending most the night before & the walk to school planning what he would say, it was pointless. She wasn't there. This was majorly out of character for her, considering she never missed a day regardless of being sick or in pain or whatever. She would rather be in school than stay home with her dad. Tate saw Stephanie walk into the classroom with Kevin behind her. They weren't speaking so he assumed they had a fight or some shit. Not that he cared.

"Stephanie" He called. The blonde goth turned around, stopping.

"Hey" She greeted the tall blonde boy without her normal smile. He was also sure it was the first time she had said hello & just hello. Was he in the Twilight zone?

"Do you know where Scarlett is?" Tate asked. He really hoped she would tell him & not be a bitch about it. He knew she didn't really like him but he really didn't like her so it didn't bother him but right, now she was the only link to his love.

"She isn't coming in until lunch." She replied, walking into the class & sitting down. Kevin sat behind her & Tate noticed he had a massive bruise on his cheek. Whoever did that is alright by him. He couldn't help wonder what had happened to Scarlett though.

After the bell rang for lunch, Tate was leaving the cafeteria when he saw Scarlett wander in through the corridor near the Maths classes. He nearly didn't recognise her. She was wearing stone washed jeans & a huge black sweater that looked massive on her. It was the most clothes he had ever seen her wear, the first time had ever seen her in jeans too. Her bleached blonde hair was tied back & she had no make up on. This wasn't his Scarlett & it made him panic. Throwing his sandwhich in his backpack, he headed in her direction, determined to find out what was going on.

He found her at her locker but kept his distance as he realised that she wasn't alone. Keeping a distance so he wasn't noticed but could still hear what was said, he listened.

"Look at this bruise on my face, bitch" Kevin Gedman spat. "You had no right to slap me" He cornered her at her locker. She looked so small & vulnerable as she stared at him. Something inside him snapped & he walked over to find out what the hell was going on.

"Scarlett, are you okay?" He asked, arms folded across his chest as he stared at the smaller boy.

"Everything's fine, isn't it Scarlett?"Kevin replied, staring at the clearly distressed girl. This wasn't right. Tate moved & stood in between them, shielding Scarlett from the brunette. If Kevin wanted Scarlett, he had her 5 foot 10 protector to get through & that wasn't an easy feat by any means. Tate felt her fingers on his back as she held on to his shirt, desperate to escape the situation.

"I didn't ask you, did I?" Turning his head slightly to the right, he caught his ex in his sight. "Scar, babe, what's going on?" His voice soft & gentle as he desperately tried to get an answer. She was silent for a few seconds.

"If you get him away from me, I'll tell you everything" She practically whispered, letting his shirt go & staring at the ground. Tate nodded before grabbing Kevin by the collar of his leather jacket & pushed him away from the locker, in the direction of the opposite hallway & glared at him.

"Stay away from her, Gedman" He warned, never taking his eyes off of the smaller boy who stared at Scarlett before scoffing & walking away. Once he was out of sight, Tate turned around. He had never seen the little blonde look so fragile. "Scar" He slowly approached her & she threw herself into his arms, clutching at his shirt as if she was trying to get as close to him as possible. He held her as tight as he could as she cried. Deciding they needed to be somewhere quiet & private, Tate led her to an empty classroom he knew would be open & if anyone asked, they were just practicing for a drama production for class.

Leading her inside, he closed the door behind them before sitting on a desk as she stood near the door. Standing up, he reached out, grabbed her hand softly before pulling her over to him,sitting back down on the desk while standing her between his legs & wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Scarlett, tell me what's happened" Tate made a real effort to keep his voice even & as calm as he could manage when he was freaking outside inside. She cleared her throat & stared down. "Please" He put his finger under her chin & made her look at him.

"You have to promise me you won't do anything stupid first" She told him, wiping her tear stained face. This made him panic. He nodded reluctantly, not knowing what he was about to hear. She took a deep breath. "Yesterday after study hall, I went to my locker & Kevin was there" Pushing herself away from Tate, she stepped back almost as if she was bracing herself for his reaction. "He started talking about how he knew I was still upset about the split but he had something to tell me or he would burst." & she forced herself to look in his eyes. She owed himt his. "He told me he really liked me, a lot" & her ex tensed up, anger transforming his handome face as he took in what she was telling him. He stood up & began pacing, muttering to himself before stopping.

"Is that why he's got a bruise? Did you slap him?" & she nodded before telling him to sit back down. He looked at her, confused as she took his hands in hers.

"He kissed me, Tate. He kissed me & shoved me against my locker then he grabbed my boobs. I shoved him away & slapped him as hard as I could before I ran away. He told me everyone knows that I'm a slut because why of how I dress" & she burst into tears. Tate just stared at her as he processed what she had just said. His precious girl had been groped against her locker & he wasn't there to protect her. Standing up, he pulled her to him, wrapping her in the safety of his arms. Kevin Gedman was dead. No one touched Scarlett. No one but him. "Tate?" Her voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked down at her. "You don't hate me, do you?" & he took her face in his hands.

"Of course I don't, baby." He told her honestly & he meant it. "I don't know if I can keep that promise I made though" Tate knew he wouldn't keep it & she did too. She nodded & looked up at him.

"Okay" & she didn't fight him on it, knowing he would do something whether she asked him to or not.

Tate kissed her. "You're my girlfriend again, Scarlett. The break is done" They both knew they were back together & there was no point in denying it. He felt complete again, like the empty void had been filled. "It's me & you against the world forever & always. No one touches you, Scar. He's gonna pay"

Scarlett just hoped Tate wouldn't do anything too stupid.


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, the truth is out & Kevin has a target on his back with a certain blonde teenage boy. I actually like Kevin in the show, he seems pretty cool & like someone Tate was probably friends with but for this story, hes a sleazy creep.**

 **If there's any mistakes in this, I'm sorry. I'm suffering from a case of brutal food poisioning & the fact I have the strength to have written this is an achievement.**

 **Listen to "Jeremy" from Pearl Jam to see what Tate refers to. This is a heavy chapter, people.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think of the story so I can figure out if it's worth becoming a long term thing or ending it by chapter ten :) Enjoy!**

Tate insisted on walking Scarlett home & ended up staying to hang out. Brett took one look at his daughter's boyfriend & mumbled something about going to the bar before stumbling out & slamming the door closed. Scarlett locked it before leading Tate to her bedroom. It wasn't much. White walls, a mattress on the floor, a long, narrow mirror against the wall on the far side, a small closet, a small black set of drawers, a stereo that had seen better days & a cork board above the bed with her artwork, a picture of Courtney Love & Kurt Cobain, a newspaper cut out about Pearl Jam coming to town from last year & a few pictures of Tate. He liked it. It was simple & suited her image. That, & she had no money. She had a weekend job at a small clothes store but had to quit it when her dad kept calling drunk, demanding she come home. Since then, Scarlett had taken lunch to school with her & ate noodles for dinner. Tate had no idea just how poor she was & she was too embarassed to tell him so she would make excuses not to go to places, like out to the movies or to a concert. Being somewhat of a gentleman, her boyfriend would pay, even after she had fought with him that he didn't need to & he should save his money for things he wanted like new albums or clothes but the blonde boy wouldn't hear of it. He liked to take her places & show her off to the world, proud that he had managed to get, & keep, a smoking hot girlfriend who was super cool & talented.

"Well, we won't be seeing Brett for at least three days" Scarlett sighed, collapsing down on the mattress in an incredibly unladylike fashion. "If he's on the whiskey, I'm in here for the long hall" & she sat up, pulling her Doc Martens off & tossing them on the ground. Tate sat down beside her, pulling off his Converse & putting them beside her boots.

"You're coming home with me tonight " He told her, putting his hand on her thigh. She opened her mouth to speak when he cut her off. "Constance won't have a problem with it. I sorted our little issue" Scarlett just looked at him, unsure of what to make of what he had said. "I promise" & he leaned forward, kissing her nose & making her laugh softly. "Scarlett?"

"Yeah?" Their eyes met.

"Can you put a dress on or something? The jeans are freaking me out, babe" They both laughed as she went to her closet & got changed into a black, white & yellow floral dress & her black tights. He nodded his approval as she turned around, posing like a supermodel as he pretended to take photographs.

They listened to Hole while they did some homework for history then she packed a few clothes in her backpack for school the next day. She grabbed her perfume, toothbrush & hairbrush & make up bag & shoved them in the bag. When she was done, Tate put his Converse on & stood up, turning off the stereo then turned around to look at her. "Let's go, babe"& she nodded. As she stepped into her boots, he unlocked the front door & waited outside for her. Scarlett closed & locked her bedroom door.

The walk to Tate's house was nice. Scarlett felt calm for the first time all day as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close to him. He kissed her hair from time to time as they talked about everything & anything. Tate was happy that he had gotten his girl back but he still wanted to knock Kevin Gedman's teeth down his throat. The guy had some fucking nerve putting his hands on her. His girlfriend would never need to be scared of anyone as long as he was around, he would do whatever he needed to ensure she felt safe for the rest of their lives together.

Later that night when Scarlett was fast asleep, Tate crept out of bed quietly & went over to his backpack. Opening it, he pulled out a small bag of cocaine. He needed to control his anger & rage he told himself but the truth was a dfferent matter. He was addicted & had been for the last eight months. Tate knew that if Scarlett found out, she would kick his ass to the curb & never talk to him ever again, regardless of how much begging & pleading on his side. Sneaking to the bathroom, he took a small tin containing a small compact mirror, his old library card & a dollar bill from their hiding place at the back of the toilet before emptying the contents on the closed toilet seat. It wasn't very hygienic but it was the only place that he could do this with his girlfriend being fast asleep in his bed. Cutting the white powder into three straight lines with the library card, he rolled up the dollar bill before putting it to his nose, leaned forward & snorted the first line up in one go. His nose stung as he sat up. After a minutes, he did the same with the second line. The effects already starting to affect him. He finished the third & final line & tidied up his stuff, putting the tin back in its hiding place before wiping the closed toilet lid & standing up. His pupils were huge as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Turning on the cold water, he washed his face, dried it & wiped his nose, careful to remove any excess that might give him away.

Tate sneaked back into his room, relieved Scarlett was still fast asleep. He grabbed his Walkman from his desk & headed downstairs. He lay on the sofa with a pillow behind his head & one dimly lit lamp on & put the headphones on & pressed play. For the last two weeks, the only song he listened to when he was alone was "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam & the song really spoke to him. The neglect from parents, the anger, the hatred of everyone. He related to the lyrics in a way he didn't think was possible. The song was about a kid who shot himself in front of his class. Brutal. Tate was too much of a pussy to do something like that. Plus, he wouldn't do that to his girlfriend. When she crossed his mind, the anger & fury from earlier started to rise through his body as he remembered just how vulnerable & emotional Scarlett was as she told him what that little punk rock rat had done to her. He bit the inside of his mouth so hard in an attempt to calm himself down when he tasted blood. He had clearly bitten a lot harder than he realised. As he imagined Kevin on his knees begging for his life, there was a presence beside him & he shot up. No one was there. Weird. Maybe it was the cocaine making him paranoid? Whatever.

Scarlett woke up alone. She rubbed her eyes & looked at the alarm clock. 5.20am. Tate was up super early today, which was weird considering he couldn't get up early any other day. Climbing out of the bed, she went to her backpack & opened it, pulling out her dark red velvet dress with sleeves that went to her elbows, her black thigh high socks, her tooth brush & a hair elastic before heading to the bathroom. When she emerged clean, dressed & ready to face the day, her heart nearly burst out of her chest when her boyfriend appeared in front of her. Tate was all dressed in black with black boots on & a long black coat.

"Hi" Scarlett put her hand over her heart to try calm herself down & get her heartbeat back down to a normal rate. Tate just stared at her, one hell of an intense look in his eyes. "What's with the new look? Trying to bang Stephanie Boggs?" Her boyfriend didn't smile or laugh. He took her hand & led her to his bedroom & locked the bedroom door behind him. She was beginning to worry now, something wasn't right. "Tate.."She started & he took his coat off, lying it on his desk before he walked over to her.

"I love you" He finally spoke, moving a stray strand of hair from her face & leaned into kiss her. It was the most intense kiss there had been between the two as he backed her to the bed & they fell on to it. The kiss quickly got hotter as he reached down & practically ripped off her underwear, making her gasp. His strong lips quickly pressed over hers against as he unzipped his pants & pulled out his hard dick before lying it up against her entrance & pushing into her. Scarlett arched up against him, overwhelmed by how quickly this had all happened. His thrusts were quick & consistant as he held her hands above her head & looked into her eyes, both never breaking eye contact as he came then she followed a few sloppy thrusts later. Tate kissed her again, leaning his sweaty forehead against her for a minute before nodding & standing up. He zipped up his pants & went over to his desk, picked up his coat & turned to leave. This felt like goodbye & she went into full on freak out mode.

"Tate!" His flustered girlfriend called after him, getting up from the bed & running after him. He stopped but didn't turn around. "What the fuck is going on?" She begged, pullimg on his arm, desperately trying to get her love to turn around but he was bigger & stronger than her. She burst into tears, terrified that he was about to do something bad. Finally, he turned around.

"I will never let anyone hurt you again, Scarlett" His put his hand on her tear stained cheek, his eyes met hers. They were serious with some sadness in there too. "No matter what, you know what they say about me won't be true. Don't forget I did this for us, Scarlett. You are everything that I have ever wanted in my life & I have to make them pay. I love you, baby & I'm sorry." He kissed her deeply before letting let her go & shoving her back & making her fall on to the floor. "I love you, Scar. Don't hate me" & the door slammed, locking from the outside.

Scarlett got to her feet & ran to to door, banging it. "Tate! No, Tate, don't do this. Please! I need you. I love you! Please! She screamed until she heard the front door slamming. "No! Tate! No!" She banged the door again before realising he was gone to do God knows what. She ran over to window & saw him walk down the street in the direction of the school. Grabbing her backpack & pulling her boots on, she opened the window before looking out. It was pretty high up but she had to get to him. Taking a deep breath, Scarlett carefully climbed out of the window. There was a large tree near Tate's house that had a branch that she could just reach. Grabbing it, she climbed down the branches to the ground before putting her backpack on her back & running like she had never ran before to the school.

When she got there, there was hysterics. Kids screaming, running out of the building as Scarlett ran towards it.

"What's going on?" She asked a kid who looked about 15 years old who looked like he was gonna throw up.

"Someone's got a gun. He came into school & just started shooting man" That was all she had to hear. Tate. Bolting into the school, she heard a loud bang from upstairs at the library. Climbing the stairs two at a time, she ran down the corridors to the doors. They wouldn't open, as if they had been barricaded shut. Moving to the side entrance, she realised that it was opened. Cautiously, she opened it before stepping inside. There was silence. There was people on the floor, blood everywhere & an eerie silence. There was a loud bang to her left & she jumped, throwing her hand to her mouth & trying not scream as she saw a cheerleader, Chloe Stapleton fall to the ground from under the desk where she was hiding. Blood. There was so much blood. Then a black clad figure stood up straight beside the desk. Bloody messy hair that she would know anywhere. Tate. Scarlett felt the bile rise on her throat as she saw the bodies of Stephanie & Kevin.

"Tate" She let out a pained cry & her boyfriend turned around so fast, it was practically a blur & she heard a bang. Pain engulfed her body as her hands flew to the right of her stomach, It was wet & her dress was torn opened. She looked down at her blood soaked hands before looking back up at her shell shocked boyfriend. Her legs started to give way, her wounded body began to sag. Tate threw the shotgun to the side & ran to her, catching her in his arms. "What have you done?" She whispered.

"I'm sorry, Scar. I thought you were the cops" He was hysterically babbling as tears poured down his face. "I''m so sorry" He pulled her up into his arms in a bridal style & she screamed out in pain before passing out. Tate had to get her somewhere safe. He had to fix her. He walked out of the library, down the back stairs & out of a fire exit, taking the back roads to his house.

When he got there, he kicked open the door & used his body to close it before climbing the stairs to his bedroom. The door was still locked from this morning. He carefully sat her down against the wall before opening the door & picking her back up. Tate placed her on his bed & closed & locked the door. She was pale & sweating, her blonde hair wavy. Her lips were a funny colour & there was blood everywhere. So much blood. Scarlett stirred as he lay beside her, taking her cold hand.

"Tate" She whispered, He leaned closer to her.

"I'm here, baby" He told her, moving some of the matted hair from hair face. She coughed & winced, tears slowly down her face.

"I love you" & he shook his head.

"Don't do the goodbye speech. You're gonna be okay, Scarlett. I'm gonna fix this. I promise" Tate was babbling again.

"Tate" She stopped him, squeezing his hand to get him to look at her. "Baby, look at me" & he did. "I'm not gonna walk out of this room." & her boyfriend let out a cry. "You need to face what you've done, Tate. They're gonna send you to jail for a long time" She coughed again. He lay beside her & slowly put his arms around, pulling her close. "Why?" She asked.

"I wanted to make Kevin pay. I wanted to help everyone else & send them to a better place, Scar" He wiped his face & nose.

"You killed them, Tate"

"No!" He yelled, shaking his head. His hair flying wildly with each movement before Scarlett begin to sing, her voice rough & quiet.

"You are my sunshine. My only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you" She smiled at Tate before touching his cheek & her hand was ice cold. It made him stop, to calm down as he looked at her green eyes before leaning down & kissing her lips softly. Her lips were going blue & her breathing became erratic, sounding shallow. He sat up & pulled her to him

"No, Scar. Don't do this to me, baby" He was hysterically sobbing now as the reality of the situation hit him like a truck. "I need you. Please" Tate begged, shaking her to keep her awake.

"I love you, Tate Langdon. I love you" & she took her last breath. Her eyes glazed over & she became limp in his arms, like a ragdoll. Tate screamed as he shook her, desperate for her to wake up.

"Scarlett!" He screamed, pulling her close to his body. She was gone. His girl was gone. Because of him.

Tate eventually placed her on the bed, covering her bloody body with his coat after holding her for the last 15 minutes, kissing her lifeless face. He took off a ring he wore on this pinky & slid it on her wedding finger before taking her thin gold necklace from her neck. Clutching it his hand, he lay beside her, staring at her & quietly sobbing. The front door closed as Constance came back from the store.

"I wish we had gotten married, Scar" Tate told her, his voice hoarse from crying & yelling. "That we had ran away to Vegas & gotten married. You were always gonna be my wife, Scar. Always. We were gonna have kids & I was gonna give you the life you dreamed of" He began to sob again. Just then, there was heavy footsteps on the stairs, more than one set. The cops. Tate kissed Scarlett's forehead softly. "I love you, baby. I;ll be with you soon. You won't be alone, Scarlett" & he sat up, looking at the door. It swung open & there was lasers on his chest as the room was filled with the swat team, all of their guns trained on him. Tate could barely hear Constance scream & cry for him as he looked at the men, stood up & mocked them by putting his fingers to his head like a gun before looking at his dead love one last time. Reaching to his bed, Tate felt nothing as bullets ravaged his body. He fell on the bed, his hand touching Scarlett's leg before he slid to the floor. There was no white light, no angels, nothing as he felt death take him.

"Scarlett" Tate whispered with his final breath.


	8. Chapter 8

**So I got my first review & it was so positive & lovely! I'm still deciding if I'm gonna finish this story in the next couple of chapters or not. Let me know :)**

 **So, Tate shot the love of his life. I wanted to give him a reason to want to die by the swat team, that he felt he had nothing to live for now Scarlett was gone.**

 **Anyways, let's get on with the show. Enjoy!**

Darkness. That's all there seemed to be. It was everywhere, engulfing her as she tried to breath. Scarlett was in a cold, damp room that seemed familiar but she couldn't figure out how she knew it.

"Maybe this is hell" She whispered to herself as sat in the far corner, knees pulled up to her chest as she hugged them. There was movement from her left. Her head snapped to the side, fear taking over as the young blonde started to cry. There was a dim light as someone switched the light on. Scarlett looked around. She was in a basement. A tall, blonde, slender woman in 1920's attire appeared & kneeled in front of her. The woman had a kind smile as she took in the the terrified teenager before her.

"Don't cry, sweet girl" The woman spoke, her voice calming & motherly. "I know you're scared but I won't cause you any harm". She slowly put her hand on the young girl's knee, a sign that she could trust her. "My name is Nora Montgomery, my husband Charles built this house in the 20s. What's your name?"

"Scarlett" She just about managed to say. This couldn't be happening. She was dead, she couldn't possibly be alive in the basement of the house she died in. It wasn't possible. "I'm dead, I..I...I died"

"Yes, you did but you died in this house, Scarlett. Anyone who dies under this roof or on it's land is here for eternity, I'm afraid" Nora explained. Scarlett just stared at her, unable to process what she was hearing. Stuck here forever? Was she alive, dead? Was she a ghost?

"Is this hell?" Scarlett whispered, staring at her knees.

"No, child. It's not hell, I promise you" & Nora stood up, gliding gracefully over to the otherside of the basement. The young girl staggered to her feet, desperate not to be alone.

"Nora, please don't leave" Scarlett begged, trying to see the older woman.

"You won't be alone for long, Scarlett. Patience, sweet girl" & with that, she was gone leaving the newly dead teenager alone in the dark, sobbing & scared as she ran back over to the corner, sliding down against the wall & burying her face in her hands. Suddenly, there was another noise. A loud gasp as if someone had taken a long needed breath. There was a rustle as the person sat up. She couldn't make them out very well as they looked around, clearly as scared as she was.

"Scary, isn't it?" She called to them. They got up to their feet, looking to see where the voice had come from. They started to walk in her direction & went they got near to the light, her eyes all but popped out of her head as she took them in. "Tate?" She whispered, convinced that her mind was decieving her. It can't be him. He wasn't dead.

"Scar?" He looked like he was gonna pass out as she got to her feet & slowly walked out of the darkness & into the light. The stared at each other for what felt like a lifetime before Tate shook his head.

"This is hell. You can't be here, Scarlett. You don't belong here." The blonde boy started to violently hit his head as if he was trying to stop his thoughts. "You aren't here. It's my mind, it's all in my mind" & he fell to his knees. She ran over to him & fell to her knees in front of him, taking his face in her hands.

It's me, Tate. I'm here, sunshine. I'm here, I promise" & he stared into her eyes before pushing her hands away & standing up.

"NO!" He yelled, beginning to walk away from her. Scarlett got to her feet.

"Our first date was to the beach. You teased me because I couldn't swim" This stopped him in his tracks but he didn't turn around. "You have a scar on your thigh from falling off of your bike when you were eight. You snore when you're really tired. You cried at Steel Magnolias & made me pinky swear that I wouldn't tell anyone." & he turned round.

"Scarlett?" Slowly, he took a few steps towards her. Scarlett took a few steps

"You hate pickles & sirens. You cheated in that English test last year. You wrote me a five page love letter after I lost the art competition just to cheer me up because you knew it was important to me & you said that the guy who won it was a preppy rich kid who wouldn't know real talent if it bit him on the ass" Just as she went to say more, he grabbed her & pulled her to him in a tight bear hug.

"I thought I had lost you forever" He told her softly, kissing her shoulder before letting her go. His eyes went to her stomach. The wound was still there but it wasn't bleeding. It all came flooding back to Tate as he lost himself in flashbacks.

"Tate ,how can you be here? You have to be dead to be here & you're..." She started but stopped as she stared at his chest. The numerous bullet holes. "No, Tate" & she shook her head.

"The cops shot me after you died, Scar. I had to be with you again. I didn't want you be alone" He came towards her but she stopped him, her hand on his shoulder.

"You shot me, Tate" Her voice was full of emotion as it all came back to her. The school, her friends lying dead in the library, the pain as the bullet ripped through her body.

"I didn't mean it. I thought you were the cops" He started to explain but she cut him off.

"We're dead, Tate. Both dead at seventeen years old because of you & what you did" He looked like she had punched him in the face. "No kids, no art galleries, no Seattle."

"Scar, I'm sorry" The pain in his voice was clear as he reached for her. She pushed his hands away before backing away. "Please don't leave me, babe. Please" Tears were pouring down his face as he looked at her. "Please" Scarlett just stopped.

"We're dead, Tate" She was hysterical. Tate grabbed her & pulled her towards him as she tried to resist, hitting his ravaged chest & screaming. He just let her do it. He deserved the anger, the rage that she felt. Eventually, she calmed down & fell into him, her arms at her side as his wrapped around her shoulders.

"I love you, babe" He told her as she became eerily calm. Something wasn't right. Her body tensed as she remember her final moments. How he had begged her not to leave him as he sobbed, holding her in his arms. How he had cried out in pain as she took her final breath.

"Tate" She whispered, throwing her arms around him.

The blonde held his girlfriend close. They were dead but they were together. Tate would die a hundred deaths if it meant that he could be with Scarlett forever. She was all he ever wanted. All he ever needed.

As they embraced in the damp, cold basement of the house they both had met their deaths in a few hours before, they were unaware that upstairs , a mourning woman was crying for her lost son as turned on the television, needing some noise to distract her. A news bulletin echoed through the house as the reporter spoke.

 **"This morning at Westlfield high, the worst school shooting in history took place, Jill when a student who has been named locally as Tate Langdon walked into the school, pulled out a gun & began shooting at his helpless schoolmates. He was seventeen years old & surviors described him as "cold & emotionless" as he shot, picking kids at random before he headed to the school library situated on the first floor. In there, the gunman shot & killed five students & has left the librarian, who tried to save the kids, in a critical condition in Westfield hospital where doctors have said the man in not of danger yet .Langdon was found in his home in his bedroom, by the LA police swat team with the body of his girlfriend of two years, Scarlett Smith, beside him. The seventeen year old had died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The police that Langdon may have accidentally shot the pretty blonde who classmates say was a talented artist who loved music after eyewitnesses say Ms Smith ran towards the library as others ran from it. It's believed she may have startled her boyfriend, causing him to shoot at her. Langdon was shot & killed in his bedroom as he was about to be arrested. More on this tragic & harrowing case as it unfolds. Kathy Emerson, Westfield high, Los Angeles." **

Constance lot out a strangled cry as she threw her glass of vodka at the wall, blinded by tears as she slumped against the chair. Her grief was suffocated her as she thought about her perfect son, gone forever. Little did she know, she hadn't seen the last of Tate.

"Why?" She muttered to herself, lighting another cigarette. She stood up, picked up the bottle of vodka & went to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

**So due to mega awful brutal food poisioning, I'm finding it a struggle to write which is difficult for me considering I can write two to three stories a day easily so if this sucks, I'm sorry!**

 **Remember to let me know what you think & if you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to let me know. I welcome them all! As always, enjoy!**

 **ps: I wish you all a happy & healthy 2016 :)**

Constance thought she had finally lost her mind as she stared up at the celling. Over the last three months since she lost her precious boy, she had heard footsteps coming from his bedroom. Heavy steps followed by softer, more feminine.

"He's dead, woman." She muttered to herself, finishing her vodka & taking the empty glass to the kitchen. The footsteps continued then there was a loud bang, as if something had fallen. Putting the empty glass in the sink beside the pile of dishes that had gathered over the last few weeks, she took off her high heels & headed upstairs.

Slowly, the older woman approached her son's bedroom. If this was some kids playing a joke, she would have them arrested & have a long talk to their parents. The door was slightly ajar as she went to walk towards it. There was a noise as someone closed the closet & walked towards the bed. A bag zipped & there was a creak as the bed moved. It took Constance around ten minutes to finally find the courage to push the door opened before marching in.

"Get out of my house before I call the police" She started but her voice trailed off as she took in the sight in front of her. A young couple were on the bed. The boy leaned against the wall as the girl sat in between his legs, her back against his chest as she held her. They were both blonde, both a beautiful sight to behold as their heads snapped up to look at her, both of their young faces filled with panic. "Tate? Scarlett? How can...I don't..." & she began to cry hysterically as the teenagers climbed off the bed, grabbing their backpacks. "Tate" He looked at his mother before grabbing his girlfriend's hand as they both began to run to the door just behind her, running out of the room before going down the stairs. Constance chased after them, begging them both to stop.

As they turned the corner towards the kitchen, the older women thought she had caught them but they were gone as she ran into the room, out of breath & blinded by tears.

"Tate? Scarlett? Please come back, please!" She cried, looking around for a sign of them but there wasn't one. "Tate, honey. Please" She waited for a while before accepting that they weren't coming back. "Constance, you've gone mad" & she sat down, lit a cigarette & drank vodka from the bottle. Mad. That's the only excuse for seeing her dead son & his dead girlfriend. Taking another drink, the woman put her head in her ageing hands & sobbed.

Scarlett felt horrible as she sat in the basement. Never did she think she would feel guilty because of Constance but the poor woman looked so happy to see her son, that she was starting to wish they had stopped when she asked them to. She have never seen the older woman so broken, nothing like the heartless old bitch Scarlett had thought she was.

"What's wrong?" Tate asked as he sat down beside her.

"I can't stop thinking about your mom, Tate. That look on her face when she saw us" & she looked at him. He nodded.

"I know but Nora said we can't talk to her, Scar. If she tells anyone she can her dead son & his dead girlfriend, they'll think she's lost her mind & lock her up then what happens to Addie?" He had a point. Tate's sister was devastated by the couple's death, refusing to leave her bedroom. It broke their hearts to hear her cry for them, both of them a lot closer than she realised, both desperate to comfort but knowing they couldn't. Not yet anyway. It wouldn't be fair to Addie or Constance when both of their grief was still so raw & painful. Scarlett wondered how Brett had taken the news of her passing, if he was mourning her or not. The latter, she assumed. She would be surprised if her father had even realised that she was gone.

"You've got your thinking face" Tate interrupted her, his hand on her thigh.

"I was just wondering if Brett misses me, if he's even noticed that I'm gone" She admitted, pulling at sweater she had on. Over the last few months, the couple both had to start wearing Tate's clothes as that was all that was available. It hung loose & long on her curvy yet petite frame, his tshirts hanging to the 5foot 2 blonde's knees but she was grateful he let her pick whatever she wanted. They would sneak into the kitchen when Constance was out & Addie was in her room & handwash everything they needed before hanging them to dry in the basement with the small window open to let the warm spring air to dry them.

"About Brett" Tate started, standing up & slowly walking away.

"Yeah?" She replied, watching him. He took a deep breath & turned around to face her.

"Before you woke up, I did a few things" Her eyebrows went up as he said this. What the hell was he about to land on her now?

"Like?" Scarlett stood up, arms folded at her chest, waiting on his reply.

"I went to Larry's office & set him on fire" He confessed & Scarlett felt like she was gonna vomit. She didn't mind Larry, he didn't deserve such a horrendous act. Tate's eyes filled with tears as she stared at him, her mouth in a grim straight line.

"Tate, that's just plain evil" Scarlett whispered before shaking her head as he reached for her. He needed her touch, to know she was still his.

"I know. I was just so angry & I wanted to take it out on the people I hated." He didn't want to say the next part but he knew he had to if he wanted a clean slate with his girlfriend. She was walking away from him when he spoke again.

"I killed Brett" & she spun round.

"What?" Her gentle voice was filled with shock.

"I went to your house. He opened the door & asked me who I was. I told him I was your boyfriend & he wasn't gonna hurt you ever again." Tate wiped his eyes, hating himself for having to tell his beautiful girl this. "He laughed at me & told me he could do what he wanted with you & he wasn't gonna have some kid tell him what he could do in his home with his daughter & I lost it, Scar. I followed him inside & he collapsed on the couch. He was so drunk, he could barely stand. He fell asleep & I took a pillow & put it over his face until he stopped kicking" Tate couldn't look at Scarlett.

"He was all I had, Tate. No one will miss me now" She could barely speak as it hit her. "I don't have any other family apart from Brett & now there was no one to visit my grave. Do I even have one? What if my body was unclaimed, would they cremate me? Bury me in an unmarked grave?" Scarlett stared straight ahead as she hysterically babbled. Tate grabbed her shoulders & pulled her over to him. He held her so tight, she couldn't move.

"Constance claimed your body" He told her. "I heard with the crime scene people after they had finished with my room. She said you dad was a useless drunk & that she would take full responsibility for you & your funeral" & Scarlett pulled back, looking up at him.

"Your mom buried me?" She was in shock at the older woman's incredibly kind gesture.

Yeah" Tate nodded. He was surprised to that his mother had taken care of his girlfriend in death considering she pretty much hated her in life. "We had a joint service. Only Constance, Addie & the priest were there. She didn't wanna make it a circus & have everyone turn up, wanting to have a look at the school shooter & his last victim. She wanted us to have as dignifed a funeral as she could afford"

"Tate, how do you know all this?" She asked, confused as to how he knew so much detail.

"Constance speaks out loud, like she knew I was here. I hear her sometimes when you're asleep" He confessed, kissing his girlfriend gently.

"I can't believe it" Scarlett was in shock.

"Neither can I but I couldn't leave you there now, could I? You stayed with my perfect boy after he put a bullet through you" Constance southern accent spoke from the stairs as she came down them & into sight. "Hello, honey" She smiled sadly at Tate. The young couple both tensed up, both ready to run. "I knew you were here all along"

"Constance" Tate whispered, as the older woman looked at him, joy on her ageing face at seeing her lost son again.

"I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to talk" She told him, beginning to walk back upstairs. Tate & Scarlett looked at each other, both unsure of what had just happened. There was silence for a minutes.

"Well I'll be dammed" Tate shook his head as they both realised their secret was out.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi everyone!**

 **Sorry I've been quiet recently. Still recovering from the loss of my beloved David Bowie though :(**

 **This a short one btw but I just need to get back in my groove.**

 **Let's find out what our favourite dead teenage couple are up to.**

 **PS: Remember to let me know what you think!**

Tate led the way upstairs as the young couple finally found the courage to go face Constance. Both were nervous but knew they had to face their fears & get it over with. He held Scarlett's hand tightly, his large rough hand sweaty & warm while hers was small soft & shaking. They reached the basement door & opened it.

"Tate" Scarlett whispered, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around & could see the nerves on her beautiful face as their eyes met. "I don't know if I can do this" She admitted, biting her lip. Tate pulled it from her teeth, finding that the simple action was giving him dirty thoughts & the last thing he needed was to face his mother with a raging boner. He shook his head, clearing thoughts of a naked Scarlett from his mind.

"It's okay, babe. I'm nervous too but we have each other & if it gets too much at anytime, we can leave. Okay?" He leaned down & kissed her, hoping this reassured her. "C'mon" He took her hand & headed to the livingroom

Constance was smoking a cigarette, a strong black coffee in the other hand as she waited for the moment that she would finally see her perfect boy again. She smiled as she heard footsteps behind her. Heavy masculine footsteps followed by dainty more feminine behind them.

"Hello honey" She sighed, not needing to turn around to know who it was, she would know her son's footsteps anywhere. The footsteps stopped & the older woman stood up before slowly turning around, her heart almost stopping as she took in the sight before her. It was beautiful, they were beautiful. Tate looked as handsome as she remembered, his blonde hair a little messier & his brown eyes still as expressive as ever. Those eyes she had stared into that Thursday afternoon in March 1977 as she held her precious son for the first time & had fallen in love with. He was dressed in a blue sweater with a black tshirt underneath & a pair of brown jeans with those horrendous Converse shoes he had worn to the point that they were falling apart. Standing just out of sight behind him was his girlfriend. Constance recognised those black boots the girl had always worn. That, & the fact that Tate was never without her.

"Constance" He replied, his voice flat as he stood protectively in front of the smaller girl.

"Hello Scarlett" Constance smiled, as the teenager slowly appeared in her line of vision, realising the older woman wasn't a threat. The petite blonde was dressed in one of Tate's black tshirts with a tan cardigan & ripped tights. She seemed a lot smaller than Constance remembered. They had been hiding in the basement for nine months, quiet & keeping out of sight.

"I've missed you" Tate face dropped as his mother began to talk. He wasn't prepared for this, he didn't want this. She was supposed to be a bitch. She wasn't supposed to be... _nice_. Nice Constance wasn't normal, it wasn't something he was used to  & it made him feel weird & uncomfortable.

"Don't. Okay. Just don't" He shook his head as he put his hands up.

"Tate" Scarlett whispered, putting her delicate hand on his shoulder & he seemed to relax just from her touch. Constance wondered if he was as aggressive with his girlfriend as he was with everyone else. "Remember what we talked about, darling" She leaned her head on his back & he looked round at her for a second before nodding with a sigh. Constance was in shock, she had never seen her son listen to someone. He usually fought back. Anger & rage was all her son ever gave her.

"Look, we're here because we want to be able to leave the basement. We need our freedoms too. I know this is a lot to take in because well, we're dead " Tate folded his arms across his chest as he spoke. His mother noticably flinched as he said dead but he wasn't one to mince his words, in life & death. "We don't want to be bothered every time we walk upstairs." The tall blonde stared at his shocked mother who eventually nodded in agreement, she couldn't seem to bring herself to do anything more. It wasn't ideal but at least she had her perfect boy back in her life, even if he was a ghost. He was here in her house & that was enough for her. He was under her roof & that was more than she thought would ever have.

"Okay, honey" She whispered, wrapped her arms around herself. Tate turned around, as did Scarlett before he put his hands on her shoulders & gently pushed her back towards the hallway that led to the basement. Stopping herself, the little blonde turned around to face her boyfriend's mother who looked crushed, totally crushed.

"Thank you, Constance" She smiled softly before walking out of the room. Tate watched after her in shock.

"You owe her big time. All you ever called her was a whore & trailer trash, a little harlot who wasn't good enough for me but if it wasn't for Scarlett, I would be in the basement & I would never talk to you ever again but she begged to give you a chance. Told me that I was lucky to have a mom, to have Addie. She has me & no one else. Even after all you did to her, all the names you called her & bad mouthed her, she still found it in her heart to forgive you for it all & talk me round to coming up here." He turned around to face the older woman who had tears pouring down her ageing face. "One bad word about her & it's done, Constance. You fuck up just once & you will never see either of us for the rest of your miserable life." & Tate walked out of the room & out of sight. The basement door slammed & Constance fell to her knees, hunched over as she let out a strangled sob from deep in her gut.

"I promise, Tate" She managed to say, hoping with all of heart that he could hear her. That they both could.


	11. Chapter 11

**Over 135 views in less than one day, you guys are amazing!**

 **Can you do my a favor though & let me know what you all think of Scarlett? I really wanna know if you like Tate's other half, Miss Smith.**

 **Thank you for all the support :)**

Tate & Scarlett lived in harmony with his mother & sister for fifteen years. After the shock of seeing her little brother & his girlfriend in front of her, Addie was finally happy again. The mother & daughter aged every year, while the young couple stayed young & beautiful.

"Tate, honey" His mother called from her bedroom. After a few minutes, he appeared at the door. Alone. It was a rare sight to see him on his own. "Where's Scarlett?" She asked, patting the bed for him to sit down. The teenager didn't move.

"She's asleep. What is it?" He snapped, arms folded across his chest as he glared at Constance.

"I have to sell the house, Tate. I can't afford to pay the mortage anymore" She looked at his face, ashamed that she had to do this but she didn't have a choice. It was too damn expensive to live here.

"What?" He was clearly shocked, not expecting this news at all. Suddenly he vanished from sight, almost giving the older woman a heart attack. She could never get use to the disappearing act her son was seemingly a pro at.

"Scar, babe. Wake up" Tate gently shook his sleeping beauty. After a minute, she woke up. Her green eyes tired as she sat up.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her hand on his arm as he looked at her. Panic took over her perfect face as thoughts ran through her mind.

"Constance is selling the house" He practically spat out as he tripped over his looked at him, a weird expression on her face. Tate pulled her into his arms & held her as tight as he could as the full severity hit them both like trucks.

"What are we gonna do, Tate?" The little blonde asked, emotion causing her voice to break. Her boyfriend kissed her hair before gently pulling away from the embrace.

"I don't know, baby" He replied. He really didn't know. As thoughts went through his head, Tate lay down on the bed, pulling his girl down beside him & moved her onto her side so he could spoon her from behind, his arms tight around her waist as he breathed in her scent. Coconut & cheap perfume. The smell had never left her. Even after all those years. The couple knew it was the year 2009, that Kurt Cobain died a month after they had, that everyone blamed Courtney Love for his suicide, that the school shooter & his girlfriend/last victim had become some sort of warped icons to messed up teenagers who thought their story was like a grunge Romeo & Juliet & that Constance had been offered mega money from some Hollywood hotshot who wanted to make the Westfield high massacre of 1994 into a movie but he needed the rights to Tate Langdon & Scarlett Smith before he began casting. Constance said no, finding the whole idea vile, tasteless & awful, opening old wounds. It would be a freak show & she had to protect her precious boy.

The couple lay in each others arms all night until Scarlett sat up. Her boyfriend didn't even flinch as he slept on. Grabbing his stripped green & black sweater, she shoved it on over her black baby doll dress before putting on her thigh high black socks & her Doc Martern boots. Sighing, she rubbed her make up free face before closing her eyes. When she opened them, she was in the kitchen. Taking a glass from the side of the sink, the blonde turned on the cold faucet & filled the glass before turning it off & taking a long drink.

"Hello Scarlett" A voice said from behind her. She choked on the water, coughing as she tried to catch her breath & dropped the glass which smashed all over the floor. The scared teenager turned around & was met by a man she had never seen before. He was in an old fashioned suit & had dried blood on his head.

"Who are you?" She managed to say. He smirked before slowly walking over to her, like a lion approaching his prey.

"Hugo Langdon. I've seen you around the house & I gotta say, you're one beautiful girl" He moved her bangs from her face. Scarlett felt sick.

"You're Tate's dad?" She whispered, slapping his hand from her face & pushing him away. No. This wasn't happening. Tate's dad had left Constance, he wasn't dead. This man was basically her father in law & here he was, trying to seduce her.

"I was" He replied, backing her into the counter & blocking her in. Scarlett's mouth went dry as fear ran through her veins. As she went to scream for her boyfriend, the older man clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Go away, you pathetic, worthless son of a bitch" Constance spat from behind them, venom in every word as her ex husband vanished. Scarlett let out a sob, covering her mouth with her hand as she held back her tears. Arms were quickly around her as Constance pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you, Constance. Thank you" She sobbed as the woman soothed her. She had never experienced motherly affection & it only added to her already overwhelmed state.

"Hush, child. No need to thank me" She told the devastated girl in her arms.

Constance sat at the kitchen table & told her son's girlfriend the truth about what happened to her ex husband. It was like a huge weight was lifted off of her shoulders after all those years. Scarlett just listened, nodding. The teenager was so mature compared to Tate. She didn't judge or fly off the handle & storm off. It made Constance wish that she had given the girl a chance when she was alive, realising that she wasn't a bad girl. In fact, she was more adult that most people Constance knew.

"You can't tell Tate" She made the young girl promise. Scarlett was reluctant, she didn't have any secrets from her boyfriend & she didn't wanna start now. After a few minutes, she slowly nodded. "I have something else I have to tell you, sweetheart" She all but whispered. Constance had kept this secret since that day in 1994 when her son had killed the girl in front of her. It had eaten away at her every single second of everyday since. It was time it was told. Standing up, the older woman went to her purse, took out a folded piece of paper & handed it to the confused teenage. Opening it slowly, Scarlett noticed it was creased, as if it had been opened & closed many times. Her green eyes read over it. It was her death certificate. She read over the details.

 **Scarlett Jane Smith**  
 **17 years old**  
 **18 April 1977**  
 **Bullet wound to abdomen (right side)**  
 **Homocide**  
 **Victim around 14 weeks pregnant. Infant girl dead in womb**

Scarlett re-read the last part over & over again.

"I was...I was pregnant?" She was surprised she could even find her voice. Before she had died, she had put on a little weight but still had her period & felt fine. Tears started to fall as she stood up, grabbing the paper before looking at the older woman. "Thank you, Constance" & the blonde girl thought of the upstairs bathroom as she closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she was in the bathroom & collapsed on the floor, letting out a pained cry. This was too much for her. There was a loud bang at the door as someone tried to open it.

"Scarlett? Open the door!" Tate yelled, his voice full of worry. His girlfriend staggered to her feet & quickly rubbed her face. Opening the door, she pushed by her concerned boyfriend who grabbed her arm, stopping her & forcing her to face him. "What's happened, babe?" He asked, forcing her to look at him. Scarlett couldn't look at him. Pulling away from him, the blonde walked into the room, slamming the door & throwing herself down on the bed. Tate was standing at the bottom of the bed as he tried to work out what the fuck had caused his girlfriend's out of character meltdown. "Scar, please, tell me what's wrong" He was practically begging her now. A folded piece of paper was thrown at him & he opened it. Scarlett's death certificate. She disappeared from the bed & out of sight as the brown eyed boy read the words in front of him. As he got to one particular part, he felt his heart smash. She was pregnant, Scarlett was pregnant. He was gonna be a Dad & he never had a clue. Judging from the meltdown, his girlfriend didn't know either. Wiping his tear stained face, he went looking for the last person he thought he would ever need. What he would do when he found her, he had no idea. After a few steps, he found himself outside his mother's room.

"Mama, can I come in?" He asked. Constance opened the door & welcomed her son in.


	12. Chapter 12

**Over 1200 views. I seriously cannot believe it! Thank you so much to every person who has taken the time to read & review this story. It means a lot to me.**

 **Gonna be introducing some very important characters in this chapter so be sure to let me know what you think. It helps me to work out if this story is going in the right direction.**

 **It also gets (very) steamy. You have been warned.**

There was noise from downstairs as Constance welcomed the real estate agent Marcy into the house. The older brunette looked around at the ageing, yet beautiful 1920's mansion & basically had dollar signs in her eyes. She rarely got houses this grand to sell so she could see the commission & knew this could work in her favor. Looking at Mrs Langdon, the blonde woman looked perfectly fine but there was devastation in her eyes. This would be a hard sell. It was just mother & daughter living in this grand space. Marcy knew the history of the house. Doctor Charles Montgomery & his illegal abortions in the basement, the murder of the aforementioned doctor by his wife who then turned the gun on herself, the gruesome murder of the two young student nurses in the late 1960s, the tragic fire which took the lives of a mother & her two young daughters & in 1994, Mrs Langdon's son infamously shot up his school, shot his girlfriend before coming back & being shot in his bedroom as his last victim died on his bed. It made her skin crawl but a sale was a sale, regardless of the history. Of course, she had to disclaim it with any potential buyers.

As the two women talked, Marcy saw a figure walk by. A flash of blonde hair was all she saw before it was gone. Constance never flinched so she shook it off, putting it down to her imagination & a long day.

"So, Mrs Langdon, I have a couple interested in the property. Gay but lovely. They want to have a look as soon as possible so I'm gonna suggest an open house, preferably by this weekend." She noticed the blonde figure in the background, a moody looking teenage boy who looked very familiar but she couldn't place him. Before she couldn't blink, he was gone. Shaking her head, the woman decided she needed to sleep & have a strong coffee. There was no teenagers in the house & there hadn't been for fifteen years. Marcy said her goodbyes before very quickly making her exit.

"I don't trust her" Tate's voice was flat as he walked into sight from the hallway. Constance glanced over her shoulder at her son. Scarlett was a few steps behind him, the petite teenager smiled softly in greeting. Constance smiled back before turning her attention to her son.

"Tate, honey. You can't hurt Marcy. We need her to sell this place" She walked cautiously to her baby boy who took a step back. It broke her heart as the older woman remembered back to the night her son came to her room, tears pouring down his face & needing his mama's advice. Opening the door, she usher him inside, sitting beside him on the bed. For the first time in nearly twenty years, Constance was able to touch her boy. A hand on his & it filled her heart with happiness. Tate had spilled his heart to her, desperate for a way to help support his girlfriend who had pushed him away, in shock & devastated at the knowledge of baby who no one knew of. A little girl who would be fifteen years old, a teenager two years younger than Tate & Scarlett would stay forever, if her father hadn't taken a gun to school that fateful day, A little girl who would have lived if her dad hadn't shot her mother. Constance had comforted him, told him to be patient & gentle with the young girl. Losing a child was horrendous but losing a child you knew nothing about must have hurt even more. After a three hour talk, Tate stood up, thanked his mother & left. He hadn't spoken to her in the five weeks since. The walls back up, the attitude & coldness back.

"Whatever" The blonde boy muttered as he headed back upstairs, his girlfriend a few steps behind him. He walked into their bedroom & collapsed on the large bed. Scarlett stood at the foot of the bed, her arms wrapped around herself. She hadn't been herself since that night. Grief & pain was her only emotions as she tortured herself with thoughts of her stolen child. When she dreamed, a blonde teenager with her father's brown eyes & mother's smile haunted her. A reminder of what they would never have. "You okay, baby?" Tate asked as he leaned on his forearms & looked at his love. She nodded & sat on the end of the bed, her back to her boyfriend. He climbed over to the petite blonde, sat behind her before stretching his long legs on either side of her before wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her left shoulder. "Scar, baby. You've gotta let me in. I'm hurting too" Tate admitted.

"I can't stop thinking about her, Tate." Scarlett whispered. Tears fell as she felt his strong arms tighten as he desperately tried to comfort her. "Blonde hair, brown eyes, my smile. It's all I see in my dreams. My fifteen year old daughter" Her voice broken on the last part along with a piece of Tate's heart. Mourning his kid was agony but there was the extra pain & guilt of knowing it was all his fault.

"I feel it too, Scar" Kissing her shoulder, Tate gently held her. The pain the couple felt was different but very real & very raw. Scarlett broke the embrace by standing up & heading to the door. Climbing to his feet, the tall blonde followed her. Swinging her round, she didn't look at him. Taking her tear stained face in his rough hands, he brought her head up, their eyes meeting. There was no words between the couple. Tate watched as she licked her bottom lip & lost it. Five weeks of sexual frustration reaching a boiling point. Kissing his surprised girlfriend, he braced himself for yelling or a slap or for her to walk away as he pulled away. It was his turn to be surprised as she grabbed his black shirt & pulled him down to her, lips roughly fighting for dominance. Tate slid his hands down to her curvy ass & pulled her up, legs wrapping around his waist. They both needed this if their relationship was going to survive this. He needed to comfort her & show her how much he loved her & how sorry he was. Scarlett needed to feel him, to know she wasn't alone in her grief, that he felt the pain of losing their little girl. Instead of taking her to the bed, Tate threw the door opened, discarding their clothes as he walked to the bathroom, never once breaking their kiss. Normally Scarlett would freak out that Constance or Addie would find their clothes but honestly, she really didn't care. Unfastening her red bra like a pro, Tate slammed & locked the door behind him. Placing her to her feet, he slid off his jeans & boxers, kicking them off before taking off his socks. Once he was naked, Tate turned on the shower before turning back to Scarlett who was still in her red panties & thigh high socks. He had never be more attracted to her before as the little blonde stood there with messy hair, lips swollen from their passionate kisses & practically naked. She looked like pure sex & he wanted her. A small smirk on her beautiful face as she took in his rock hard dick. It was actually starting to hurt him. If he didn't fuck her soon, Tate would explode. Getting on his knees in front of the petite girl, he hooked his fingers round her panties, slid them down her flawless, soft, pale legs & helped her step out of them before he made a show of taking her thigh high socks off. Climbing into the shower, Tate held his hand out to his beautiful girl who accepted it before getting in beside him. Backing her against the cold white tiles as the warm water rained down on them. He stared into her green eyes & for the first time in five weeks, there was passion, want, love. Unable to take anymore, he kissed her, lifting her left leg & sliding into her. Both of them let out a moan as they welcomed the sensations. As he slid in & out her, Scarlett dug her nails into his back, causing him to hiss as their eyes met.

"Such a bad girl, baby" He whispered, leaning in & biting at her pale neck, knowing it would leave red marks behind. She was his. Scarlett Smith was his. She cried out as he felt her tighten around him. A few more thrusts & she called out his name as she came. He followed after her, growling her name as he buried his head in her shoulder. As they both caught their breaths, she held him close. He pulled his head up to look at her. "I love you. I love you so much, Scarlett" He told her.

"I love you, Tate" She smiled. He carefully pulled out of her, placing her on her feet before turning off the shower. Helping her out, he wrapped a towel around his waist, one around her & started to run a bath. As it filled the tub, he quickly went outside, gathered their clothes & threw them in their bedroom before heading back to the bathroom. Scarlett smiled at him as he locked the door. The little blonde had poured some girly smelling bubble bath shit in the water but he wasn't gonna complain. It was the most intimate the two had been in weeks. Turning off the faucet, Tate took off the towel, climbed into the tub & sat down.

"Enjoy your bath, darling" Scarlett began to leave. She had clearly picked up his plans all wrong.

"I was hoping my sexy little woman would join me" He smiled, laughing softly at the surprise on her face. They had never share a bath before. Scarlett always too shy. Taking a deep breath, she nodded & dropped the towel & climbed in the tub. As she sat down with her back to him, he took her by the shoulders & leaned her back until her back met his pale chest, all signs of bullet wounds gone. Tate sighed as he felt his body relax. His arms around his girl who looked happy & relaxed.

"Well we're offically showering together from now on" He joked, making her laugh as he smiled. This was close to heaven as he had ever been. The sat in silence for a while, just enjoying being together when Tate broke the silence. "What do you consider to be your surname?" It had been on his mind for a while.

"Uh, Smith?" Scarlett replied, confusion in her soft voice as she began to sit up. Tate brought her back down to lean against him.

"I think of you as a Langdon" He admitted, suddenly feeling shy. "I think you of my wife" It had been seventeen years, they would have been married by now.

"I don't know what to say, Tate" She started, her voice shaking with emotion.

"Be my wife?" He asked, deciding to be bold. Scarlett was quiet for a few minutes but it felt like hours to her boyfriend.

"Okay" She relaxed into him, closing her eyes.

"Okay" Tate smiled. He was getting his girl back.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi guys! It's been a while but I'm back!**

Tate Langdon felt his blood boil as the two gays finished moving the last of their stuff into _his_ house. Both bickering over where some fucking painting was going.

"How fucking dare they" The tall blonde teenager muttered to himself as he stayed out of their sight, really not in the mood to have to explain who he was & why he was in the house. Constance and Addie had moved next door a week previous and it hit the boy a lot harder than he was expecting it to, finding himself missing his sister greatly. He even missed his mother, well a little. There was a presence beside him, a small hand on his back.

"Behave" A soft, feminine voice warned, snapping him out of his anger. Taking a deep breath, the boy looked at his girlfriend. The one constant in his life that can never ever leave him - Scarlett.

"They're changing everything, Scar" His voice was flat, dull as he watched the men begin to unpack, putting everything in its new place & it hurt Tate. This was HIS house, not anyone elses and here was two gays changing everything & making it different, making it new & making it theirs and God, it pissed him off beyond belief.

"I know, darling but it's their house now. No matter how much you hate it, this is isnt your house anymore" Her voice low as she leaned into his back, her head barely reaching the bottom of his shoulders but the little touch calmed him and his mood. She had always been able to do that, always able to change everything with a simple show of affection. Tate sighed & turned around taking the little blonde in his arms, his chin resting on her bleached blonde hair & he pulled her closer.

"Bed?" He asked. That didn't mean sex to Tate, it meant hugs & kisses & sleep & just being close to his girl, in their own world, in their own bubble with no interuptions. Scarlett's green eyes met his brown, a smile on her beautiful face as she looked at him.

"Sure" Tate took her little hand in his and led the way upstairs to their shared bedroom.

The young couple lay in their bed, Scarlett's back to Tate's chest, his strong arms around her, holding her close. She had fallen asleep minutes after her head hit the pillow. Tate on the otherhand was wide awake, unable to close his tired eyes for even a second. The thought of two strangers in the house was too much for the teenager to handle. It was driving him insane to know that this was their house now. Theirs to do whatever they wanted with it & he hated it. He decided there & then that he would do absolutely anything to get them to leave, get them out of the house for good. Whether it was through fear, through force or through choice, Tate hadn't decided yet.

When Scarlett woke up two hours later, she was alone.

"Tate?" She whispered, trying not to draw the attention of the new occupants. Silence. What the hell was he up to? He never normally ignored her when she called, always their in seconds. Carefully getting off the bed, the teenager put her worn black Doc Martens on, rubbed her face, made the bed & thought of her boyfriend. She closed her eyes & when she opened them seconds later, Tate's handsome face was in front of her. "Where have you been?" She asked, knowing that he was up to something & he better not damn deny it. She knew him well enough to know when he was lying to her.

Tate was busted & he knew it. He wasn't even gonna try lie to her about it.

"I was trying to think of a way to get those assholes out of house" He admitted, avoiding eye contact. He hated when she got mad at him & had that disappointed look on her perfect face. Tate loved Scarlett with all of his heart. She was his girl, the only one for him & he didn't want her in a house with two extra men, gay or not. They were still guys & after that little creep Kevin Gedman, the tall blonde was mega overly protective of her. She nearly had his kid for fuck sake. If that didn't prove to the world that she was his, what else would? To Tate, the fact that Scarlett was pregnant with his kid before they died was to him, the equivalent of a "Tate Langdon was here" tattoo on Scarlett's stomach. No guy was getting near his girlfriend & he would kill anyone who tried.

"Tate" the teenage girl started, moving her bangs from her face & sighing. "You promised me" & she crossed her arms, an unimpressed look on her perfect face as Tate looked at the ground before forcing himself to look at her.

"I'm sorry, baby but I just.. I just want them gone." & he went to leave when someone cleared their throat behind him, causing the young couple to jump in surprise, both facing the door of their bedroom.

"Uh, why are you in our fucking house?" A dark haired man asked, a tall blonde behind him with a cellphone in his hand.

"Fuck" Tate muttered, shaking his head. This was all he fucking needed!


	14. Chapter 14

**I owe you all an apology. Its been a really time since I've updated but truthfully, I just couldn't work out where to take this story. It can be hard to work out where Scarlett will fit into all of this so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!**

"Oh shit" Tate whispered as he realised the two new occupants of his house could see him & Scarlett. The little blonde to his left looked absolutely terrified, clearly having no idea what to do. Tate did though. Get his girl out of this situation & fast. Grabbing her into a bear hug, the tall blonde boy thought hard of the basement & closed his eyes and suddenly the air was cold, the smell of dampness filling his nostrils. The basement. Safety.

"What the hell are we gonna do, Tate?" Panic in Scarlett's soft, gentle voice as she clutched to her boyfriend's well worn striped sweater. He held her closer, kissing her hair, desperately trying to comfort his love.

"I'll fix it. Don't worry about it, babe" He told her, knowing fine well that she would worry. All Scarlett ever did was worry. She stayed silent as they embraced for what felt like hours but could have only have been around 5 minutes. When they finally pulled away from each other, she disappeared into the shadows, needing some time to think. Nora appeared next to Tate, a delicate hand on his broad shoulder. He didn't like when anyone, Scarlett not included, touched him but right now, he needed the comfort. Not that the stubborn teen would ever admit it.

"We all have to be careful, child" She warned him, her voice soft as she looked in the direction he was. Where Scarlett had disappeared to. "Just give her time" & with that, the older woman was gone. A cloud of sweet perfume all that was left of her. Nodding, Tate decided to take her advice & give Scarlett space.

Tate found himself in the attic with his older brother, Beau. The older boy had died just before Tate had. Sweet natured, kind & pure, Beau was the polar opposite of his younger sibling. Physically and mentally disabled, the oldest Langdon had been confined to the attic of the house by Constance, chained like an animal due to his mother's embarassement that he wasn't 'perfect' and it wasn't fair. Beau was a good person, he didnt deserve a life like that. After suffocating in his bed, the boy was condemned to eternity in this house. At least he wasn't alone, at least he had Tate.

"Play" Beau interupted Tate's train of thought, rolling his beloved red ball in his brother's direction.

"I gotta go but remember Beau, gotta keep quiet okay buddy?" He smiled, hugging his brother close before disappearing.

Tate went back to the basement, just knowing Scarlett was still there, overthinking as always.

"Scar?" He called, careful not to be too loud & draw attention to them from the couple upstairs who were still trying to work out what had happened to them. Silence. He called her again. Silence again. Panic rising in him, Tate quickly walked to the direction his girlfriend had headed in. She was slouched against the wall, fast asleep. Carefully taking her in his arms, he held her close, kissing her hair before closing his eyes & thinking of their bedroom. Once there, he opened his eyes before placing his sleeping beauty on their bed, pulling off her Docs & pulling the blankets around her before climbing in beside her, pulling her back to his chest, arms tight around her.

He would fix it later. Right now he needed to just hold his girl & think. Tate always did think better with Scarlett in his arms.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi guys, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a really long time. Life just got in the way and I wasn't sure if it was worthwhile continuing with this story but here I am** **J**

 **Enjoy! Its short but its just filler. Let me know what you think!**

The two men stared at the startled blonde teenagers currently standing in their guest bedroom. Scarlett grabbed Tate's arm, panic clear in her youthful face as she waited for him to get them the hell out of the situation. Rolling his eyes, the tall teenager looked at the men and smirked.

"Actually, this is our house" and with that he grabbed his girlfriend in a tight bear hug, squeezed his eyes closed and thought of the basement. When they both opened their eyes a few seconds later, they were in the dark, damp basement and slowly let each other go when they heard a loud terrified scream from upstairs.

"What the fuck just happened?" one of the men yelled, fear in his voice.

"That wasn't very nice, Tate" Scarlett scolded her boyfriend, hands on her hips as she looked at him. He shrugged, a smirk still present on his handsome face.

"Well now they know their house is haunted" and he turned his back on her, heading to sit on the stairs. They were gonna be there for a while so he might as well get comfy. Scarlett stared at him before shaking her head and sighing. "What, Scar? I can feel your death stare from here, babe" he asked, frustrated.

"They weren't even in the damn house for an hour, Tate and you managed to expose us. What the hell were you thinking? This is the last thing we need!" Was she actually yelling at him? He hadn't done anything wrong! "You seriously fucked up, Tate" and with that, she disappeared into the shadows. Her boyfriend watched after her, his mouth hanging open in shock and confusion. She never yelled or cursed at him so this was majorly out of character for the little blonde.

"Scarlett, don't you dare walk away from me" He warned when he found his voice. A black Doc Marten boot came flying out of the darkness on the otherside of the basement, barely missing his head.

"Screw you, Tate" and he felt anger flow around his body. Turning around, he punched the wall in front of him, determined that no matter how furious he was, there was absolutely no way he was taking his anger out on his girl, no matter how out of line she was being. Blood began to seep from his knuckles as he stared at the wound. He felt the anger flow out of him. He hadn't felt like this in a long time, not since he had been dead.

There was a hand on his shoulder and his head shot around. It was Nora and she had a concerned look on her face, worry in her eyes. Tenderly taking Tate's injured hand in her cold and soft hands, Nora's blue eyes met his dark brown.

"You silly boy. Hurting yourself has never been and never will be the answer" She told him, making him look down at the ground, slight embarrassment making his pale cheeks flush red. She was right, he knew she was. "As for Scarlett, leave her be. She just needs time" and Tate nodded.

Time. Dead and unable to leave the house, Tate, Scarlett and Nora had nothing but time.

"I love you, Scar" He called into the darkness. It was silent for a few moments when he heard a sigh.

"I love you too, jackass" and Tate sat down on the stair as Nora tended to his injured hand.


	16. Chapter 16

There was still a very obvious tension between Tate and Scarlett. It was driving the teenage boy crazy and he felt helpless. Scarlett was so distant and cut off, seemingly lost in her own world.

He had heard from Nora that the gay couple living in the house wanted to get a priest in to exorcise the place but as if that would actually work. Tate, Scarlett, Nora and every other ghost would be there as long as the house stood.

After spending almost all of his time in the basement, the tall blonde boy snapped and he took his anger out on the two who would suffer the most – Chad and Patrick. If they hadn't moved in then his girlfriend wouldn't be angry with him and the house would still belong to Constance. They wouldn't need to hide. His rage turned his vision red, made his blood boil and he wanted blood, again. He hadn't felt like this in a long time but he welcomed it. It felt familiar.

Marching upstairs, Tate found the weird creepy pvc gimp suit the dark haired guy had bought in a feeble, pathetic attempt to add some spice to the clearly failing relationship. Some people were just too fucking weird, man.

Shoving on the tight suit, he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. His dark brown eyes looked almost black, he looked tired and pissed. He felt tired and pissed. He wanted his girlfriend to love him again and for the angry teen, this was the only option. The two men had to go.

Scarlett was hiding out in her bedroom, picking at her chipped red nails. She wasn't happy. Tate had accused her of pushing him away after their fight. Maybe she had but she was just so mad at him. The little blonde loved her boyfriend, there was absolutely no doubt about that, but sometimes he was an immature, infuriating idiot and she hated it. He was her world but sometimes she couldn't stand him.

The house was quiet. The living couple going about their evening in peaceful harmony. Chad running a bath for himself, Patrick in the livingroom watching some lame tv show he didn't care about.

Tate appeared Chad, the dark haired man didn't notice until it was too late. The teenager grabbed his hair, pushing him down and his head into the water. The man kicked and struggled. He eventually stopped. Letting go of him, Tate dragged him down to the basement and let him go in the middle of the floor. Heading back upstairs, he walked quietly into the livingroom and grabbed one of the mens ugly vases and with all his strength and aimed it at the older blonde man's head.

After dragging him down to the basement and dumping the unconscious man on the floor, Tate pulled out a gun and shot him. Murder/suicide would be the conclusion. Pat went nuts, killing his lover then himself.

Scarlett was staring at the celling when she heard a loud bang, a noise she will never forget – a gun. Panic ran through her as she got up and ran towards the noise. As she got to the basement, she threw open the door and was about to go down the stairs when she heard voices – Constance, Tate and the cleaning lady moira who appeared whenever someone moved in.

"Its kinda romantic, isn't it?" She heard her boyfriend say. "Now they can be together forever"

There was light footsteps as Moira headed upstairs. Scarlett hid around the corner as the older redheaded woman left the basement, Tate behind her. He was in a pvc suit.

The door slammed shut and Tate was soon out of sight. Quietly, the teenage girl walked down the stairs and let out a soft sob as she saw the men lying dead on the floor. She kneeled in the middle of them, careful of the blood.

"I'm sorry. I am so sorry" She whispered. "He did it to me too. Come find me when you wake up" and stood up. There was a sharp pain in her stomach and she winced, pain shooting through her. Her petite hands grabbing at her abdomen, it felt wet. Lifting her right hand she looked at it and gasped – blood. Like when she had died.

"Tate" she whispered. "What have you done?" and in a heartbeat, she was back in Tate's room, just like the day she died. As the pain overwhelmed her, she fell onto the bed and cried. It was just as it had been that day.

"Scarlett?" Tate called, wondering where his girl was. He would tell her that everything was alright, she would love him again. Heading to his old room, his heart skipped a beat as he saw her lying on the bed, covered in blood, sweating and turning blue. Just like they day they had died. "No! NO!" He screamed climbing into the bed beside her, holding her close.

"You killed them, Tate"

"No!" He yelled, shaking his head.

"You killed me and you killed them." And she went quiet. "Go away, Tate" and he did.


End file.
